Patterns of Gabapentin Prescription and of Hospitalization in a National Cohort of US Veterans

Abstract: Since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval as an anti-seizure medication in 1993, gabapentin has become one of the most prescribed medications in the United States.1 Between 2013 and 2017, the number of gabapentin prescriptions increased by 50%2 to become the tenth most commonly prescribed medication in the United States.3 Gabapentin has been associated with multiple side effects, including dizziness, altered mental status, and falls.4–6 Little is known about the risk of hospitalization in patients prescribed gabapentin. Although only FDA approved for seizure and post-herpetic neuralgia, most use of gabapentin has been for non-FDA approved indications, particularly off- label pain indications.3 We conducted a national cohort study of US veterans using the US Department of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health record data (EHR) to assess the patterns of hospitalization associated with gabapentin use.

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