Trial reportThe American journal of drug and alcohol abuse2016
Pilot trial of gabapentin for the treatment of benzodiazepine abuse or dependence in methadone maintenance patients.
Trial report in The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pharmacological interventions for benzodiazepine discontinuation in chronic benzodiazepine users.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Effective alleviation of depressive and anxious symptoms and sleep disorders in benzodiazepine-dependent patients through repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.Addiction biology · 2024Trial
- Pilot randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of high-dose gabapentin for alcohol use disorder.Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research · 2021Trial
- Utilization of adjunctive anti-seizure medications to facilitate chronic benzodiazepine discontinuation.The mental health clinician · 2026Review
- Benzodiazepine Dependence: Clinical and Molecular Aspects, Preventive Strategies and Therapeutic Approaches.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Synergistic Effect ofPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Current Therapeutic Strategies for the Management of Benzodiazepine (BZD) Withdrawal Syndrome: A Review.Current topics in medicinal chemistry · 2024Review
- Adult Medical Cannabinoid Use and Changes in Prescription Controlled Substance Use.Cannabis and cannabinoid research · 2023Article
- Add-On Treatment withPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Benzodiazepines: Uses, Dangers, and Clinical Considerations.Neurology international · 2021Review
- Trends in Gabapentin Prescribing in a Commercially Insured U.S. Adult Population, 2009-2016.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2020Article
- Would induction of dopamine homeostasis via coupling genetic addiction risk score (GARS®) and pro-dopamine regulation benefit benzodiazepine use disorder (BUD)?Journal of systems and integrative neuroscience · 2018Article
- Challenges of the pharmacological management of benzodiazepine withdrawal, dependence, and discontinuation.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2018Review
- Medications for substance use disorders (SUD): emerging approaches.Expert opinion on emerging drugs · 2017Review
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issuedCorrection.2021
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundBenzodiazepine use disorders are a common clinical problem among methadone maintenance treatment patients and have adverse effects on clinical outcomes.
objectivesTo evaluate gabapentin for the outpatient treatment of benzodiazepine abuse or dependence in methadone maintenance patients.
methodsParticipants (n = 19) using benzodiazepines at least 4 days per week were enrolled into an 8-week randomized double-blind placebo-controlled outpatient pilot trial. All participants received a manual-guided supportive psychotherapy aimed to promote abstinence. Study medication was titrated over a 2-week period to a maximum dose of gabapentin 1200 mg or placebo three times a day. Benzodiazepine use was assessed using urine toxicology confirmed self-report. Benzodiazepines were not provided as part of study participation; participants were provided guidance to gradually reduce benzodiazepine intake.
resultsSixteen participants had post-randomization data for analysis. Retention at week eight was 50%. The mean dose of gabapentin achieved by titration was 2666 mg/day (SD = ± 1446). There were no significant between group differences on benzodiazepine use outcomes (amount benzodiazepine per day [Mann-Whitney U = 27, p = 0.745], abstinent days per week [U = 28, p = 0.811]) and Clinical Instrument Withdrawal Assessment (CIWA)-benzodiazepines scale (U = 29.0, p = 0.913). One participant in the gabapentin group discontinued study medication because of peripheral edema. Two participants in the placebo group requested admission for inpatient detoxification treatment.
conclusionIn outpatient methadone-maintained patients with benzodiazepine use disorder, gabapentin did significantly decrease benzodiazepine use relative to placebo. The small sample recruited for this trial may have limited the ability to detect a group difference.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.