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.

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.

Experts today also suggested that people with chronic pain requiring gabapentin may simply have also been less physically active, a known risk factor for developing dementia, so the medication may be not be to blame.

The drug—manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer of Covid vaccine fame—acts on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a chemical messenger in the brain that functions like a brake on over-excited nerve cells.

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

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.

MCI can sometimes be a precursor to a dementia diagnosis.

While there was no heightened risk among 18-to-34-year olds prescribed the drug, the risk of dementia more than doubled and MCI more than tripled among 35–49 year old prescribed it.

Patients given 12 or more prescriptions were at even greater risk, the scientists found.

These patients were 40 per cent more likely to develop dementia and 65 per cent more likely to develop MCI than those prescribed gabapentin between 3 and 11 times.

The drug, manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, acts on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a chemical messenger in the brain that acts as a brake on over-excited nerve cells 

Around 900,000 Brits are currently thought to have the memory-robbing disorder. But University College London scientists estimate this will rise to 1.7million within two decades as people live longer. It marks a 40 per cent uptick on the previous forecast in 2017

Writing in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine, they said: ‘Our findings indicate an association between gabapentin prescription and dementia or cognitive impairment within 10 years. 

They added: ‘Our results support the need for close monitoring of adult patients prescribed gabapentin to assess for potential cognitive decline.’

However, independent experts today urged caution over the findings.

They highlighted the potential mechanism of how the drug could be influencing dementia remained unclear.

Dr Leah Mursaleen, head of clinical research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said while the study had some strengths like a large sample size, there were limitations.

‘This study only shows an association between gabapentin prescriptions and mild cognitive impairment or dementia, so we do not know if the medication is directly causing the higher risk,’ she said. 

‘Gabapentin dosage wasn’t recorded, and there was no information on how long people were on the medication.

‘Because this study only used health records of people with chronic pain, we cannot rule out other factors that might be influencing the findings. 

‘And previous studies looking at people prescribed gabapentin for other conditions like seizures, didn’t show a link between the medication and higher dementia risk.

She added that anyone with concerns about their medication should speak to their GP.

Professor Tara Spires-Jones, director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute, also said: ‘One very important factor that was not examined in this study is levels of physical activity.

‘People with chronic pain requiring gabapentin may have been less physically active, which is a known risk factor for developing dementia.’

Official data seen by MailOnline shows five Britons—or their families or medics— have linked taking gabapentin to an Alzheimer’s or dementia diagnosis.

Such reports, submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, do not prove the medication was responsible and may just be coincidence.

It comes as a landmark study last year suggested almost half of all Alzheimer’s cases could be prevented by tackling 14 lifestyle factors from childhood. 

World-leading experts found two new risk factors—high cholesterol and suffering vision loss—were, combined, behind almost one in ten dementia cases globally.

They join 12 existing factors, ranging from genetics to smoking status, that experts have identified as increasing the risk a person would suffer dementia.

Experts claimed the study, published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, provided more hope than ‘ever before’ that the memory-robbing disorder that blights the lives of millions can be tackled.

Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common form of dementia and affects 982,000 people in the UK. 

Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are common early symptoms of the condition, which then worsen over time.

Alzheimer’s Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country’s biggest killer.