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Gabapentin’s anti-nausea and anti-emetic effects: a review

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Abstract

Gabapentin’s main clinical use is in the treatment of neuropathic pain where its binding to neuronal alpha-2/delta subunits of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) is critical to its mechanism of action. Over the past 10 years, there have been several reports of gabapentin also having anti-nausea and anti-emetic effects in conditions including postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), and hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). In this report, a MEDLINE electronic search was performed, and relevant citations were reviewed and classified by level of evidence; a grade of recommendation was then assigned for gabapentin’s use for each studied indication. Out of 33 clinical trials reviewed, 12 assessed nausea and/or vomiting (N/V) associated with gabapentin therapy as primary outcome measures. These 12 studies provided a Grade A recommendation for gabapentin use in treating PONV, a Grade B recommendation for use in treating CINV, and a Grade C recommendation for use in treating HG. Further research is needed to confirm these initial promising results, which implicate the alpha-2/delta VGCC subunit as a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of several N/V-associated clinical conditions.

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  1. Department of Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University at Buffalo, 3435 Main Street, 97 Farber Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14214-8024, USA

    Thomas Guttuso Jr.

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Guttuso, T. Gabapentin’s anti-nausea and anti-emetic effects: a review. Exp Brain Res 232, 2535–2539 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-014-3905-1

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