To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG Dispatch - AAN: Higher Dose Gabapentin Not As Beneficial As Lower Doses In Treating Tremor URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/F92CA.htm Doctor's Guide April 23, 1999
By Cameron Johnston Special to DG News
TORONTO, ON -- April 23, 1999 -- High doses of the anti-epileptic drug gabapentin do not appear to offer any more benefit than low doses of the drug for patients with essential tremor (ES), new research presented at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting shows.
Dr. William Ondo, an assistant professor of neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas, presented the results of a study yesterday (April 22) and said higher doses of the drug produced only a modest benefit for patients with ES.
Twenty patents with ES were given either 1800 mg, or 3600 mg of gabapentin per day over a six week period and underwent a number of tests including measurement of their ability to pour water from one glass to another and their ability to draw a spiral.
The results show that patients who received the highest dose of the drug actually fared worse on the spiral drawing test than those on the lower dose. In fact, more patients in the placebo group than in the higher dose group performed better in the spiral drawing test.
Dr. Ondo said it was originally felt that the higher doses of gabapentin might be beneficial in treating ES patients because there are many similarities in the electrical signals in the brains of people with epilepsy and people with ES. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.