Gabapentin concentrations and postmortem distribution.

Gabapentin is a widely prescribed medication used primarily for the treatment of epilepsy and neuropathic pain. Gabapentin has a favorable adverse effect profile in therapeutic dosing with the most common reported effects being dizziness, fatigue, drowsiness, weight gain, and peripheral edema. Even with intentional self-poisonings, serious effects are generally rare. In this report, gabapentin analyses were performed on 30 postmortem cases that had peripheral blood, central blood and liver tissue. Overall the central to peripheral blood (C/P) ratio mean was 0.90±0.24 (mean±standard deviation), and a median of 0.97. The liver to peripheral blood (L/P) ratio mean was 0.68±0.26L/kg (mean±standard deviation), and a median of 0.65L/kg. An additional case, where both antemortem blood and postmortem peripheral blood specimens were available, revealed the same gabapentin concentration in both specimens. Taken together, the data presented suggests that gabapentin is unlikely to show postmortem redistribution.