Changes in body weight with chronic, high-dose gabapentin therapy

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pharmacology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Gabapentin (GPN) is a widely used antiepileptic drug.
• Understanding its long-term effects, such as body weight changes, is crucial for patient management.
• Seizure disorders require chronic treatment, necessitating evaluation of medication side effects over extended periods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the incidence and pattern of body weight changes in patients treated with Gabapentin for seizure disorders over 12 months or more.
• To identify factors associated with Gabapentin-induced weight gain.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of body weight changes in 44 patients with seizure disorders treated with Gabapentin for at least 12 months.
• Dosage adjustments were made based on seizure control or side effects, with 28 patients receiving >3000 mg/day.
• Weight changes were categorized as gain (>10%, 5-10%), no change, or loss (5-10%).

Main Results:

• A significant proportion of patients experienced weight gain: 10 gained >10% and 15 gained 5-10% of their baseline weight.
• Weight increase typically commenced between months 2 and 3 and stabilized around 6-9 months.
• Weight gain was observed with Gabapentin monotherapy and in combination with other antiepileptic drugs.

Conclusions:

• Long-term Gabapentin therapy is associated with a notable risk of weight gain in patients with seizure disorders.
• The weight gain appears to stabilize over time, irrespective of continued high-dose treatment.
• Gabapentin-induced weight changes should be monitored in patients with epilepsy during chronic treatment.