- The vast majority of gabapentin prescriptions are for off-label uses, or uses not approved by the FDA—an estimated 95 percent, according to a study of nationwide data. One survey found that gabapentin has the highest proportion of off-label prescriptions out of 160 commonly used drugs.
These incredibly large numbers just don’t make sense...There are no well-designed, placebo-controlled clinical trials for several of its off-label applications...Only about 20 percent of gabapentin's off-label uses have data supporting them.
Goodman thinks there is reason to be wary of doctors writing so many off-label gabapentin prescriptions: When it was first patented, the company that produced it spent millions of dollars on a deceptive marketing campaign specifically to promote gabapentin's off-label potential. He thinks it's worth asking if the legacy of that marketing campaign is in some way responsible for the sheer amount of off-label use that still takes place today.
My dog is on Gabapentin, two pills a day, to manage the pain of her arthritis and spondylosis. With it, she can get up, go for walks, and be a normal old dog, with the usual stiffness/slowness of old age. Without it, she can't stand, and just lays there panting all day from the pain. There was a point where she was on it, and we weaned her off of it and back on to her normal food routine, and she returned to her uncomfortable life. We then put her back on it, and within a day she was back to being a happy dog. So, while Gabapentin may be over-prescribed for pain, I have demonstrable evidence it works. In dogs, at least...