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

A commonly taken drug for lower back pain could raise the risk of developing dementia by up to 40 per cent, concerning research suggests.

Gabapentin, sold as Neurontin, was approved on the NHS in the early 1990s to treat nerve pain and epilepsy.

But US researchers have found the pill—typically taken three times a day—could increase the risk of developing the memory robbing disorder by 29 per cent among patients of any age who had been prescribed it at least six times.