People's Justice

Injury guide

Older adults on gabapentin: ask your care team

Older adults with memory changes need a care check, not a diagnosis from a drug headline. Bring the medicine list and ask what the tests show.

See If You Qualify

Free · No obligation · About 2 minutes

Updated Oct 4, 202611 sources

This may apply to you if

  • Identify the actual medicine and the dates in your pharmacy records.
  • Describe the diagnosis or symptoms actually recorded by your health team.
  • Ask what evidence would link the medicine to your condition.

What the public record says

These are cited sources. Their inclusion does not imply that they endorse People’s Justice or reviewed this page.

Sheng-En Tsai · Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University; Changhua Christian Hospital · First-listed study author

Finding: The 2024 author abstract reports no substantial increase in dementia risk among the chronic-pain patients studied. This differs from the 2025 population and does not prove all use safe.

Tsai et al., gabapentin and dementia in chronic pain, 2024 (opens in a new tab) · May 9, 2024 · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The evidence and its limits

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Arizona State University · Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine · 2025

Gabapentin prescriptions and dementia in chronic low back pain

Design:
Cohort
Participants:
26,416 adults following matching as reported in the author abstract; no assumed per-arm or doubled count
Finding:
Higher recorded dementia and mild impairment incidence in certain prescription groups.
Main limitation
Retrospective records and selected back-pain population; association is not individual cause. Prescriptions do not confirm dose consumption. Full paper not reviewed.

Read the source: Gabapentin prescriptions and dementia in chronic low back pain (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 3, 2026

Chung Shan Medical University; Changhua Christian Hospital · Journal of Affective Disorders · 2024

Gabapentin and dementia in chronic-pain patients

Design:
Case-control
Participants:
Underlying cohort of 201,492 chronic-pain patients aged 50 or older; final matched comparison count not specified in the author abstract
Finding:
No substantial increased dementia risk in the adjusted analysis described by the abstract.
Main limitation
Nested case-control study in a different population; not proof of safety for every person. Underlying cohort is not a verified matched sample count. Full paper not reviewed.

Read the source: Gabapentin and dementia in chronic-pain patients (opens in a new tab) · Checked Oct 3, 2026

The short answer

What is the memory condition being checked?
Dementia affects memory and other thinking skills. Forgetfulness can have other causes. Ask the care team to check what changed. [10]
What signs need a doctor or urgent care?
Report new memory changes to a clinician. Slow breathing or being hard to wake needs urgent help. Older age can add to breathing risk with gabapentin. [10]
How does a clinician diagnose and treat memory changes?
The clinician checks the history, symptoms and health findings. Ask which cause is being considered and how the care plan addresses it. [10]
What does research in adults show?
A Taiwan study of pain patients age 50 and older found no clear rise in dementia risk. A different study reported a link. [2]

The process

What happens next

  1. 01

    You answer a few questions

    About two minutes. Nothing is sent until you agree on the last step and press submit.

  2. 02

    A lawyer looks at it

    A lawyer at the firm reads your answers and checks them against the current case criteria.

  3. 03

    The firm decides and gets in touch

    If the firm takes your case, you get the terms in writing to read before you sign. You can always say no.

When it fits this case

  • Identify the actual medicine and the dates in your pharmacy records.
  • Describe the diagnosis or symptoms actually recorded by your health team.
  • Ask what evidence would link the medicine to your condition.
  • Ask which law, time limits and prior agreements matter.

What is the memory condition being checked?

Dementia affects memory and other thinking skills. Forgetfulness can have other causes. Ask the care team to check what changed.

What signs need a doctor or urgent care?

Report new memory changes to a clinician. Slow breathing or being hard to wake needs urgent help. Older age can add to breathing risk with gabapentin.

FDA's 2019 warning also names certain other medicines and lung problems as risk factors. Give the prescriber the complete medicine list, including products bought without a prescription.

How does a clinician diagnose and treat memory changes?

The clinician checks the history, symptoms and health findings. Ask which cause is being considered and how the care plan addresses it.

The memory guide describes history, examination and tests selected for the suspected cause. As a caregiver, bring dated examples of what changed and ask how the patient wants you involved in the visit.

Do not stop gabapentin on your own because of a headline. The drug guide says to discuss stopping with the doctor; an abrupt stop can cause withdrawal symptoms.

What does research in adults show?

A Taiwan study of pain patients age 50 and older found no clear rise in dementia risk. A different study reported a link.

The Taiwan study drew from an underlying group of 201,492 patients. That is not a confirmed count of the final matched comparison. Its finding does not promise safety for every older person or every dose.

The 2025 back-pain study reported an association with dementia diagnoses in some prescription groups. Differences in who was studied matter; neither study proves that one person's medicine caused their disease.

Who may qualify for a legal check?

A lawyer needs the actual harm, drug dates and legal facts. Age alone is not a rule that a firm will take the claim.

Ask which party and law would be assessed, and whether an earlier claim or agreement matters. Give diagnosis and treatment dates for a personal filing-limit review while care needs are addressed.

What records can a caregiver help organize?

Keep the drug list, care reports and dates of observed changes. Ask who has authority to request or receive the patient's records.

Covered medical-record access has exceptions. Being a helper does not by itself give unrestricted access. Ask the provider what permission or representative documents it needs before sharing reports with another person.

Find out where you stand.

The review is free and private. Asking for it doesn’t commit you to anything.

Register your interest

Sources

  1. Eghrari et al., gabapentin prescriptions and dementia in chronic low back pain, 2025Eghrari et al., gabapentin prescriptions and dementia in chronic low back pain, 2025 · study
  2. Tsai et al., gabapentin and dementia in chronic pain, 2024Tsai et al., gabapentin and dementia in chronic pain, 2024 · study
  3. MedlinePlus gabapentin drug informationMedlinePlus gabapentin drug information · regulator
  4. NIA memory problems, forgetfulness and agingNIA memory problems, forgetfulness and aging · regulator
  5. DOJ Warner-Lambert off-label promotion resolution, May13,2004DOJ Warner-Lambert off-label promotion resolution, May13,2004 · regulator
  6. ABA Model Rule 1.5: FeesABA Model Rule 1.5: Fees
  7. HHS your medical recordsHHS your medical records · regulator
  8. SDNY filing time-limit FAQSDNY filing time-limit FAQ · court
  9. U.S. Courts civil case processU.S. Courts civil case process · court
  10. MedlinePlus memory loss: clinical guide
  11. FDA serious breathing warning, December19,2019FDA serious breathing warning, December19,2019 · regulator

Checked against 11 primary sources by People's Justice editors · Updated

How we make money

People's Justice research team · Updated Oct 4, 2026