Common Back‑Pain Drug May Be Linked to Higher Dementia Risk, Large Study Finds
A widely used drug for chronic back pain — Gabapentin — may significantly increase the risk of dementia or memory problems, according to a large new study published in 2025. The findings have raised fresh concerns about the long‑term safety of a medication many consider a “safer” alternative to opioids.
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What the Study Found
Researchers examined medical records of tens of thousands of adults suffering from chronic low back pain.
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Patients who had six or more prescriptions of gabapentin had a 29% greater risk of being diagnosed with dementia and an 85% higher risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) over the following decade.
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The risk rose further with more frequent prescriptions — those with 12 or more prescriptions saw a ~40% higher dementia risk and ~65% higher MCI risk compared with those with fewer prescriptions.
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Alarmingly, the association was not only among older adults: people in the 35–49 age group had more than double the risk of dementia compared to non‑users.
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What This Means — And What It Doesn’t
This is not a proof that gabapentin causes dementia — the study is observational, meaning it identifies a strong association but cannot definitively establish cause and effect.
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Researchers acknowledge limitations: they could not precisely determine dosage, duration of use, or fully control for other factors (like physical inactivity, other medications, or underlying conditions) that might contribute to cognitive decline.
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Nonetheless, the consistent correlation and dose‑response pattern (more prescriptions → higher risk) make the findings significant and warrant caution — especially for people using gabapentin long‑term for chronic pain.
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Why Gabapentin Became Popular — And Why This Matters
Gabapentin was originally developed to treat seizures, but over time it became widely prescribed off‑label to treat nerve pain and chronic lower back pain. Because it lacks the addiction risk associated with opioids, many doctors considered it a safer choice.
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However, with this new evidence linking frequent gabapentin use to cognitive decline and dementia, people and healthcare providers may need to rethink its long‑term use — particularly for non-severe or chronic pain, where alternative treatments might be safer.
What Patients and Caregivers Should Do
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