Not all that long ago, Canadian Indian Affairs mandated that native pain sufferers had to try gabapentin/cymbalta like drugs first before certain opioids. I wrote about how poorly cymbalta worked:
http://painmuse.org/?p=2179
Now even gabapentin failed to help back pain with or without sciatica. One wonders about the ethics of such sweeping proclamations.
Atkinson JH, Slater MA, Capparelli EV, et al.
A randomized controlled trial of gabapentin for chronic low back pain with and without a radiating component.
Pain. 2016 Jul;157(7):1499-1507.
http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/26963844
- 108 cases; 46 radiating and 62 non-radiating
- “There was no significant correlation between gabapentin plasma concentration and pain intensity. Gabapentin appears to be ineffective for analgesia in chronic low back pain with or without a radiating component.”
Comment – I do a variety of injection and manual approaches to treating back pain. Those relying on meds alone are going to be disappointed. – and Indian Affairs – shame on you. I have people with back pain/sciatica on gabapentin – I guess I can stop its use.
Looks like they ‘meant well’, but didn’t think things through, and wound up leaving people suffering. Really too bad. Perhaps they should be thinking of things they can do to help, rather than things they can regulate.