Dementia warning as drug taken by millions raises risk of memory robbing disorder by up to 40%, study finds

This risk rose to 40 per cent among those who had been prescribed it on more than 12 occasions.

The team, from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, said the findings suggested patients prescribed gabapentin should now be assessed for potential cognitive decline.

But they cautioned the findings do not prove that taking the drug will cause dementia—merely that it shows an association.