Gabapentin: a new tool in the treatment of neuropathic pain

Human neuropathic pain remains a prevalent and pervasive problem in our society. Pharmacologically there is also no single, uniformly well-tolerated drug that is reliably helpful. Gabapentin has emerged as a useful new tool based on the results of two large multicenter trials in models of human neuropathy. Gabapentin proved to be a significantly better analgesic than placebo, was well tolerated in the elderly population, and had a significant positive impact on several subjective and objective outcome measures. A discussion of the standard treatments and the studies supporting this new tool is the purpose of this review.