According to the study, people with six or more gabapentin prescriptions faced a 29% higher risk of dementia and an 85% higher risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
“The significance of this finding is an association between gabapentin prescription and dementia on a nationwide level,” Eghrari explained. “Though this does not imply causation, this warrants further investigation on the drug’s long-term effects.”

What stood out most was the 35–49 age group, where dementia risk doubled and MCI risk tripled. Eghrari dubbed the finding unexpected, since neurodegeneration is usually something doctors see after age 65.
Study Limitations and Criticisms
Of course, the study isn’t without its limits. It didn’t look at other health issues or medications participants may have had, and dementia risk depends on many factors. Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh, told Medscape, “One very important factor that was not examined in this study is levels of physical activity. People with chronic pain requiring gabapentin may have been less physically active, which is a known risk factor for developing dementia.”
Leave a Comment