Gabapentin plus benzodiazepine safe for benzodiazepine withdrawal treatment - Healio

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May 02, 2021

1 min read

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The combination of gabapentin and benzodiazepine can be safe in the treatment of benzodiazepine withdrawal, according to data presented at American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, which was held virtually.

Edison Leung

"Gabapentin, which has been used as an adjunct treatment for patients undergoing alcohol withdrawal, likely can also be used for patients undergoing benzodiazepine withdrawal considering the two abusable substances share a similar mechanism," Edison Leung, MD, PhD, a second-year psychiatry resident at UT Health, told Healio.

Leung and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of gabapentin as an adjunct treatment for benzodiazepine withdrawal and dependence in patients treated for benzodiazepine withdrawal who were given gabapentin for anxiety or neuropathic pain. Researchers screened patient records from a large inpatient psychiatric hospital. Overall, they identified 58 patients who were given gabapentin and benzodiazepine for treatment of withdrawal. Additionally, 70 patients undergoing benzodiazepine withdrawal symptoms but not given gabapentin served as the control arm of the study. The researchers measured acute withdrawal symptoms by Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment of Alcohol Scale score, and recorded gender, race, medications, length of stay, medical issues and readmissions.

Researchers found a total daily dose of 600 mg to 1,800 mg of gabapentin reduced withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, they reported no complications with the combination of gabapentin and benzodiazepines in the patients.

"Observational data suggests that for patients undergoing benzodiazepine withdrawal, gabapentin as an adjunct to benzodiazepines reduces the hospital length of stay, the total dosage amount of benzodiazepines administered and the number of times benzodiazepines are administered," Leung said.

He said a randomized clinical trial will be developed to further test the hypothesis.

"Overall, this is a promising new method to help patients undergoing benzodiazepine withdrawal to use less benzodiazepines in the treatment itself," Leung said.

Limitations of the study was the lack of benzodiazepine-only or gabapentin-only control group, the authors wrote in the abstract.

Reference:

Leung E, et al. Poster 4445. Presented at: American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting; May 1-3, 2021 (virtual meeting).

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American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting

American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting

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