Letter to the Editor: Gabapentin Abuse in a Patient with Comorbid Mood and Substance Use Disorders

Conclusion. Collectively, behavioral changes that include dose escalation and/or self-administration of gabapentin or withdrawal symptoms and/or indications of relapse into illicit drug use following the abrupt discontinuation of gabapentin are indicative of gabapentin misuse. Prescribing clinicians should take these factors into consideration when prescribing gabapentin and educate their patients about its risks. In particular, clinicians should closely monitor those patients with sigificant histories of comorbid mood and substance use disorders when prescribing gabapentin due to the increased risk of gabapentin’s misuse among this patient population. References. 1. Berlin RK, Butler PM, Perloff MD. Gabapentin therapy in psychiatric disorders: a systematic review. Primary Care Companion CNS Disord. 2015;17(5). 2. Mersfelder TL, William HN. Gabapentin abuse, dependence, and withdrawal. Ann Pharmacother. 2016;50(3):229–233. 3. Schifano F. Misuse and abuse of pregabalin and gabapentin: cause for concern? CNS Drugs. 2014;28(6):491–496. 4. Bastiaens L, Galus J, Mazur C. Abuse of gabapentin is associated with opioid addiction. Psychiatr Q. 2016; [epub ahead of print]. 5. Roache JD, Griffiths RR. Lorazepam and meprobamate dose effects in humans: behavioral effects and abuse liability. J Pharmacol Exp Therapeut. 1987;243:978–988. 6. Griffiths RR, Wolf B. Relative abuse potential of different benzodiazepines in drug abusers. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1990;10:237–243. 7. Tcher...
Source: Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Bipolar Disorder Letters to the Editor Mental Disorders Mood Disorders Psychiatry Psychopharmacology Substance Use Disorders comorbidity gabapentin Source Type: research