Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether prescribing guidelines for Gabapentin include warnings about potential risks associated with extended use.

There are a number of resources available to prescribers to advise them on the potential risks associated with extended use of gabapentin.

The British National Formulary (BNF) for adults provides healthcare professionals with a range of information on the selection, prescribing, dispensing, and administration of medicines. The BNF monograph for gabapentin provides information on the cautions and side effects relating to use of the medicine. The BNF also provides important safety information, such as advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the risks associated with use of gabapentin.

In addition, the known side effects of gabapentin are outlined in the product information, the Summary of Product Characteristics for healthcare professionals, and the Patient Information Leaflet which is provided in each pack of the medicine. These provide prescribers with special warnings and precautions regarding the use of gabapentin to inform decision-making.