Gabapentin for essential tremor: a multiple-dose, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

• Essential tremor (ET) is a prevalent neurological disorder.
• ET often becomes resistant to standard pharmacological treatments.
• Previous studies on gabapentin for ET yielded mixed results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of gabapentin in patients with essential tremor.
• To compare two different daily dosages of gabapentin (1800 mg and 3600 mg).

Main Methods:

• A double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial was conducted.
• Twenty-five patients with ET were enrolled, with 20 completing the study.
• Patients were maintained on existing ET medications throughout the trial.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in patient global assessments, observed tremor scores, water pouring tasks, and activities of daily living.
• No significant improvements were noted in accelerometry, spirography, or investigator global impression scores.
• Both low and high doses of gabapentin demonstrated similar efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Gabapentin may be an effective treatment option for select patients with essential tremor, particularly those refractory to conventional therapies.
• Further research is needed to identify predictors of response to gabapentin in ET.