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Existing Drug Offers Hope in Easing Chronic Pain
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Posted on: 02/15/2001
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Gabapentin, also known by its brand name, NerontinTM, may play a role in helping people with chronic low back pain. Doctors at Northwestern University reported success after using this medication to treat a woman with chronic pain in her legs. Gabapentin is already being used to treat neurological problems, but this case suggests it should also be considered in some cases of chronic pain.
The case involves a 30-year-old woman who had to use a wheelchair ever since her spinal cord was injured by a gunshot wound 13 years earlier. The injury caused her to suffer chronic pain in both legs, from her hips to her feet. She described her pain as "throbbing, aching, and stabbing." These symptoms didn't go away, even when she tried strong pain medications called opioids. She had problems sleeping, partly because of the pain. As a result, she described her moods as "angry, frustrated, and anxious."
Her doctors prescribed gabapentin three times a day. Within one week, her pain levels were dramatically lower. Her mood improved, and so did her sleep. Her pain symptoms continued to get better as time went on.
Gabapentin is a fairly new anticonvulsant drug that was designed to help people who have partial seizures. Although it doesn't have a lot of side effects, about 25% of people using gabapentin say it makes them feel sleepy. Some people have reported having headaches. Others feel dizzy, although clinical trials have shown that these problems don't happen very often.
The authors conclude that gabapentin should be considered to treat chronic pain, especially in combination with other medications. If the success reported by this patient is any indication, gabapentin might give helpful pain relief for others who've had a traumatic spinal cord injury.
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References:
Noopur Patel Kapadia and Norman Harden. Gabapentin for Chronic Pain in Spinal Cord Injury: A Case Report. In Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. October 2000. Vol. 81. No. 10. Pp. 1439-1441.
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