Nonepileptic uses of gabapentin

For decades, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have been used to treat a variety o f nonepileptic conditions such as chronic pain, psychiatric disorders, and movement disorders. As indicated by recent published reports, gabapentin, a relatively new AED, is useful for treating a wide range of neurologic and psychiatric conditions. Although its exact mechanism of action has yet to b e determined, gabapentin is likely to have multiple effects. Unlike convent ional AEDs used to treat nonepileptic disorders (e.g., carbamazepine, pheny toin, valproate) gabapentin offers the advantages of low toxicity and a fav orable side-effect profile. The largest area of nonepileptic use of gabapen tin is neuropathic pain, in which it has demonstrated efficacy in treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, diabetic neuropathy, and trigeminal neuralgia. It has also been reported effective as therapy for several psychiatric diso rders, most notably bipolar disorder. In addition, review of the published literature reveals the usefulness of gabapentin in movement disorders, migr aine prophylaxis, and cocaine dependence. Future clinical studies will prov ide further insight into the range of conditions for which gabapentin is ef fective.