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

Latest NHS data shows 799,155 patients were prescribed gabapentin in England in 2023/24, down slightly on its peak of 926,071 in 2022/23.

Figures suggest more than 8million gabapentin prescriptions are issued every year in the US.

In the study, researchers assessed the health records from more than 26,000 Americans who had been prescribed gabapentin for chronic low pain between 2004 and 2024.

They found those who had received six or more gabapentin prescriptions were 29 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with dementia and 85 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) within 10 years of their pain diagnosis.