• John David Putzke, J Scott Richards, Laura Kezar, B L Hicken, and T J Ness.
• Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
• Clin J Pain. 2002 Mar 1; 18 (2): 116-21.

ObjectiveTo determine the long-term efficacy of gabapentin as a treatment of pain after spinal cord injury.DesignAll patients with traumatic-onset spinal cord injury treated with gabapentin were identified and followed up using a longitudinal observational design with two contact points (6 and 36 months after the trial) using a semi-structured interview. The first follow-up interview attempted to capture all 31 patients placed on therapeutic trial. The second follow-up interview attempted to capture those reporting a favorable response (n = 14) to the therapeutic trial at the first follow-up.ResultsOf the 27 patients contacted at the first follow-up (87% response rate), 6 (22%) discontinued the trial secondary to intolerable side effects; therefore, the pain analgesic effects of gabapentin in these patients could not be determined. Of the remaining 21 patients, 14 (67%) reported a favorable response (i.e., a 2 or greater point reduction on a 0-10 pain-rating scale). The second follow-up interview captured 11 (79% response rate) of the 14 patients reporting a favorable response at the first interview, and 91% (10 of 11 patients) continued to report that gabapentin was an effective analgesic. There was no evidence to suggest dosing difficulties due to tolerance over the 3-year period. Sedation, dizziness, and forgetfulness were the most common side effects.ConclusionsGabapentin may be an effective treatment of pain after spinal cord injury among those able to tolerate initial and long-term side effects.

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