OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term efficacy of gabapentin as a treatment of pain after spinal cord injury. DESIGN: All patients with traumatic-onset spinal cord injury treated with gabapentin were identified and followed up using a longitudinal observational design with two contact points (6 and 36 months after the trial) using a semi-structured interview. The first follow-up interview attempted to capture all 31 patients placed on therapeutic trial. The second follow-up interview attempted to capture those reporting a favorable response (n = 14) to the therapeutic trial at the first follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 27 patients contacted at the first follow-up (87% response rate), 6 (22%) discontinued the trial secondary to intolerable side effects; therefore, the pain analgesic effects of gabapentin in these patients could not be determined. Of the remaining 21 patients, 14 (67%) reported a favorable response (i.e., a 2 or greater point reduction on a 0-10 pain-rating scale). The second follow-up interview captured 11 (79% response rate) of the 14 patients reporting a favorable response at the first interview, and 91% (10 of 11 patients) continued to report that gabapentin was an effective analgesic. There was no evidence to suggest dosing difficulties due to tolerance over the 3-year period. Sedation, dizziness, and forgetfulness were the most common side effects. CONCLUSIONS: Gabapentin may be an effective treatment of pain after spinal cord injury among those able to tolerate initial and long-term side effects.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the long-term efficacy of gabapentin as a treatment of pain after spinal cord injury. DESIGN: All patients with traumatic-onset spinal cord injury treated with gabapentin were identified and followed up using a longitudinal observational design with two contact points (6 and 36 months after the trial) using a semi-structured interview. The first follow-up interview attempted to capture all 31 patients placed on therapeutic trial. The second follow-up interview attempted to capture those reporting a favorable response (n = 14) to the therapeutic trial at the first follow-up. RESULTS: Of the 27 patients contacted at the first follow-up (87% response rate), 6 (22%) discontinued the trial secondary to intolerable side effects; therefore, the pain analgesic effects of gabapentin in these patients could not be determined. Of the remaining 21 patients, 14 (67%) reported a favorable response (i.e., a 2 or greater point reduction on a 0-10 pain-rating scale). The second follow-up interview captured 11 (79% response rate) of the 14 patients reporting a favorable response at the first interview, and 91% (10 of 11 patients) continued to report that gabapentin was an effective analgesic. There was no evidence to suggest dosing difficulties due to tolerance over the 3-year period. Sedation, dizziness, and forgetfulness were the most common side effects. CONCLUSIONS:Gabapentin may be an effective treatment of pain after spinal cord injury among those able to tolerate initial and long-term side effects.
Authors: Robert W Teasell; Swati Mehta; Jo-Anne L Aubut; Brianne Foulon; Dalton L Wolfe; Jane T C Hsieh; Andrea F Townson; Christine Short Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2010-05 Impact factor: 3.966
Authors: Eldon Loh; Magdalena Mirkowski; Alexandria Roa Agudelo; David J Allison; Brooke Benton; Thomas N Bryce; Sara Guilcher; Tara Jeji; Anna Kras-Dupuis; Denise Kreutzwiser; Oda Lanizi; Gary Lee-Tai-Fuy; James W Middleton; Dwight E Moulin; Colleen O'Connell; Steve Orenczuk; Patrick Potter; Christine Short; Robert Teasell; Andrea Townson; Eva Widerström-Noga; Dalton L Wolfe; Nancy Xia; Swati Mehta Journal: Spinal Cord Date: 2022-02-05 Impact factor: 2.473