A number of FDA-approved medications including benzodiazepines and some antidepressants are prescribed to treat anxiety. In addition, a few drugs are prescribed off-label for the treatment of anxiety including gabapentin and pregabalin.
Gabapentin is the tenth most commonly prescribed medication in the United States. 95 percent of prescriptions for gabapentin are for uses without an approved indication.
Gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) are anticonvulsants and nerve pain medications with structural similarities to the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Gabapentin was developed in 1993 and is indicated for the treatment of shingles and partial-onset seizures. Pregabalin, developed in 2004, is used to treat nerve pain from diabetes along with spinal cord injuries.
Studies in animals have down that gabapentin benefits those suffering from anxiety. Breast cancer patients benefit from the use of gabapentin to treat anxiety and hot flashes. Gabapentin has also shown some success in relieving pre-surgical anxiety.
The most common side effects of gabapentin are: somnolence (19%), dizziness (17%), and ataxia (13%). Pregabalin can produce dizziness in about 30% of patients and somnolence in 23%.
Reference:
Off-label use of gabapentin and pregabalin for anxiety. (2019, July 31). Retrieved July 31, 2019, from KevinMD.com website: https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/07/off-label-use-of-gabapentin-and-pregabalin-for-anxiety.html
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