Treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome with gabapentin

Four in-patients with moderate alcohol-withdrawal syndromes benefited from treatment with gabapentin administered in an add-on fashion to clomethiazol e. In comparison with the amount of clomethiazole required as estimated usi ng a specially developed score during previous detoxifications of these pat ients at our hospital, gabapentin (400 mg q.i.d.) clearly reduced the amoun t of clomethiazole needed now Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant with favorable pharmacokinetic properties and tolerability, and with no known risk of depe ndence, may therefore be a useful new drug in the treatment of alcohol with drawal. We believe that the potential value of gabapentin in alcohol withdr awal deserves further controlled studies.