Gabapentin Commonly Continued Long-Term After Stroke Despite Limited Guidance, Risk Assessment:...

USA: A Medicare claims analysis has found that most older adults prescribed gabapentin within 30 days after an acute ischemic stroke continued using the medication for at least a year. The study published in medRxiv highlights the widespread off-label use of gabapentin for post-stroke pain and emphasizes the urgent need for clearer prescribing guidelines and further research on long-term safety and effectiveness. The research, led by Shuo Sun from the Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, analyzed treatment patterns among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older who were hospitalized for their first acute ischemic stroke between 2013 and 2021. Using a national 20% random sample of US Medicare data, the team sought to understand how older