Common Back-Pain Drug and Dementia Risk: What the Study Actually Found
The drug behind this headline is gabapentin, a prescription medicine commonly used for nerve pain and seizures. It is also frequently prescribed for chronic low-back pain. A 2025 retrospective study examined whether gabapentin use was associated with dementia.
🧠What did the study find?
Researchers analyzed medical records of 26,416 adults with chronic low-back pain after matching patients on various characteristics.
Among people who received six or more gabapentin prescriptions, dementia occurred about 29% more often than in the comparison group. The association was stronger among younger adults and increased with greater prescription frequency.
But there’s a crucial distinction:
The study found an association—not proof that gabapentin causes dementia.
Because this was a retrospective observational study, other factors could partly explain the result. Chronic pain itself, other illnesses, medications and differences between people who did and didn’t receive gabapentin can all complicate the interpretation.
⚠️ What about newer research?
A 2026 study also reported a possible association between gabapentin and dementia among older adults taking calcium-channel blockers. However, that work is currently a preprint, meaning it has not yet gone through the same peer-review process as a published journal article. The researchers themselves say the findings require replication.
There is also previous research with mixed findings, so the question isn’t settled.
đźš« Should you stop gabapentin?
No—not because of this study alone. If gabapentin controls significant nerve pain, stopping it abruptly can cause problems and may allow pain symptoms to return. Talk with your prescriber if you’re concerned about cognitive changes, drowsiness, confusion or long-term use.
