Popular painkiller may increase risk of memory decline, study finds
According to a large-scale observational study published in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, patients who were frequently prescribed gabapentin showed a significantly higher likelihood of developing dementia or MCI.
'Our results support the need for close monitoring of adult patients prescribed gabapentin to assess for potential cognitive decline,' the researchers stated.
Dr. Leah Mursaleen, Head of Clinical Research at Alzheimer's Research UK, commented on the study, noting that the findings demonstrate only an association between gabapentin prescriptions and cognitive impairment, not a direct cause.
'Gabapentin dosage wasn't recorded, and there was no information on how long people were on the medication,' she said.
She further explained that since the study focused exclusively on individuals with chronic pain, other factors may have contributed to the observed outcomes. 'Previous studies involving people prescribed gabapentin for conditions such as seizures did not find a link between the drug and an increased risk of dementia,' Dr. Mursaleen added.
While acknowledging the study's findings, she emphasized the importance of effectively managing chronic pain and advised that anyone concerned about their medication should speak with their doctor.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Weather warnings upgraded ahead of intense rain for island of Ireland
Forecasters in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have upgraded their warnings ahead of heavy rainfall on Sunday night into Monday. Northern Ireland is expected to experience some of the worst of a heavy spell of rainfall on Sunday evening into Monday. Forecasters predict the region could see half a month's worth of rain in less than a day. It comes as yellow-level rain warnings were put in place for the eastern counties of Northern Ireland, as well as several counties south of the border. ⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️ Rain across south eastern Northern Ireland Sunday 2300 – Monday 0800 Latest info 👉 Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ — Met Office (@metoffice) July 20, 2025 The Northern Ireland warning applies for Antrim, Armagh and Down between 6pm on Sunday until 6pm on Monday. A more intense amber-level warning was also put in place between 11pm on Sunday and 8pm on Monday. The Met Office warned that homes and businesses are likely to be flooded. The expected rainfall carries a risk of flooding, power cuts and dangerous driving conditions. Forecasters also warn there is a small chance that some communities could be cut off by flooded roads while fast-flowing or deep floodwater could pose a danger to life. Simon Partridge, a forecaster with the UK Met Office, said: 'It looks like Northern Ireland is the place where we could see the most rainfall and certainly the most impactful rainfall. 'They could see 50 to 75mm of rain within 12 to 18 hours.' The region records an average of 89mm of rain in July, meaning more than half a month's rainfall could hit Northern Ireland in less than a day. A yellow-level thunderstorm warning was in place for the western half of Northern Ireland between midday and 8pm on Sunday. Warning Updates Status Orange Rain & thunderstorm warning for Dublin, Louth & MeathValid: 00:00 21/07/25 to 14:00 21/07/25 Status Yellow Rain warning for Kildare, Wicklow & MonaghanValid: 00:00 21/07/25 to 14:00 21/07/25 Stay safe and updated⚠️ — Met Éireann (@MetEireann) July 20, 2025 The Republic of Ireland's forecasting agency, Met Eireann, issued its own orange-level rain and thunderstorm warning for Dublin, Louth and Meath between midnight and 2pm on Monday. It said there would be widespread surface flooding, very difficult travelling conditions, lightning damage and very poor visibility. A yellow-level warning for Kildare, Wicklow and Monaghan applies for the same time frame. It said there will be spells of heavy rain with a chance of isolated thunderstorms, localised flooding, poor visability and difficult traffic conditions. It followed earlier thunderstorm warnings for Cork and Clare in the south-west of the country, which had both expired by 7pm on Sunday.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Xander Bogaerts hits 1st-inning grand slam in Padres' 8-1 win over Nationals
WASHINGTON (AP) — Xander Bogaerts hit a grand slam in the first inning, Elias Díaz also homered and the San Diego Padres routed the Washington Nationals 8-1 on Sunday. Bogaerts hit the first pitch he saw from MacKenzie Gore (4-9) into the seats in left for his sixth homer of the season and eighth career grand slam. Jake Cronenworth had an RBI double to make it 5-0 before the Nationals batted. Padres starter Nick Pivetta (10-2) allowed one run in six innings while striking out five. Pivetta is 3-0 with a 0.57 ERA in his last five starts. The Padres improved to 54-45, winning two of the three in the weekend series and five of their last seven. Riley Adams homered in the fifth for Washington. The Nationals have lost 10 of 12 — going 2-7 under interim manager Miguel Cairo — to drop to 39-60. Díaz lined a two-run shot to left in the third to end Gore's outing. Gore tied his career high with eight runs allowed in a season-low 2 1/3 innings. San Diego center fielder Jackson Merrill was scratched due to illness about a half-hour before the game. Key moment Bogaerts' grand slam provided San Diego an early cushion. Key stat Pivetta, who was drafted by Washington in 2013 and dealt to Philadelphia two years later, is 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 13 innings against the Nationals this season. Up next San Diego had yet to announce its pitching plans for Monday night at Miami. Washington RHP Jake Irvin (7-5, 4.58 ERA) was set to start Monday night against Cincinnati as the Nationals' homestand continues. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
IndyCar Series 2025 drivers championship, Rookie of the Year, Leaders Circle standings after Toronto
The 2025 IndyCar Series season is busy and Alex Palou has won seven races, most notably the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Kyle Kirkwood has won three, Pato O'Ward two and Scott Dixon one. Here's where the drivers and teams stand in the season-long points, Rookie of the Year and Leaders Circle races. Report from Toronto: IndyCar Ontario Honda Dealers Indy complete results IndyCar Series championship points 2025 (Through 13 of 17 races) Alex Palou, 536 points Pato O'Ward, 437 Kyle Kirkwood, 363 Scott Dixon, 362 Christian Lundgaard, 317 Felix Rosenqvist, 309 Marcus Armstrong, 283 Colton Herta, 278 Will Power, 263 David Malukas, 259 Rinus Veekay, 252 Santino Ferrucci, 240 Scott McLaughlin, 239 Kyffin Simpson, 226 Christian Rasmussen, 217 Josef Newgarden, 213 Conor Daly, 199 Alexander Rossi, 199 Marcus Ericsson, 195 Graham Rahal, 195 Nolan Siegel, 168 Robert Shwartzman, 159 Louis Foster, 159 Callum Ilott, 135 Sting Ray Robb, 133 Devlin DeFrancesco, 123 Jacob Abel, 95 Takuma Sato, 36 Helio Castroneves, 20 Ed Carpenter, 16 Jack Harvey, 12 Ryan Hunter-Reay, 10 Kyle Larson, 6 Marco Andretti, 5 IndyCar Series rookie points With four races to go, Prema Racing's Robert Shwartzman erased a five-point deficit to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing's Louis Foster on Sunday by virtue of his 16th-place finish, tied for the Prema driver's third-best finish of his young IndyCar career. Foster finished 21st, 23 laps down after a lengthy stop for repairs. Dale Coyne Racing's Jacob Abel finished 23rd after sliding into the outside wall on Turn 1 exit and sparking a multi-car crash. Robert Shwartzman, 159 points Louis Foster, 159 points Jacob Abel, 95 points IndyCar Series Leaders Circle standings 2025 IndyCar's Leaders Circle program pays eligible teams just over $1 million the following season in guarantees. To qualify for one of the 22 spots, the entry must be associated with one of IndyCar's 25 charters — teams are allowed to have a maximum of three. Only Prema Racing's two cars remain unchartered. The 25 chartered cars are then ranked by entrant points and, at the end of this season, the top 22 eligible entries will be paid $1.2 million or more by Penske Entertainment throughout the 2026 season. Here are the cars around the bubble after IndyCar's Toronto race: 21. Arrow McLaren No. 6, 168 points points 22. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 45, 159 points ------------------------------------------------------------- 23. Juncos Hollinger Racing No. 77, 133 points 24. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing No. 30, 123 points 25. Dale Coyne Racing No. 51, 95 points This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Who won the IndyCar race today? Toronto results, driver rankings
