ArticleDrug safety2018
Gabapentin and Pregabalin and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in the Elderly: A Population-Based Cohort Study in an Electronic Prescription Database.
Article in Drug safety, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cardiovascular safety of gabapentinoids gabapentin & pregabalin: A systematic review.The Indian journal of medical research · 2025Pooled it
- Acupuncture decreased the risk of stroke among patients with fibromyalgia in Taiwan: A nationwide matched cohort study.PloS one · 2020Trial
- Review
- [Benefits and risks of gabapentinoids in geriatric psychiatry].Der Nervenarzt · 2026Review
- Pain Treatment Strategy and Readmission Rates for Medicare Beneficiaries Post-Acute Ischemic Stroke.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Gabapentin Treatment Patterns Among Older Patients After Hospital Discharge for Acute Ischemic Stroke.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Decreasing Preoperative Anxiety in Patients with Newly Available Multimodal Approaches-A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Atrial fibrillation induced by gabapentin: a case report.Journal of medical case reports · 2023Article
- Hydroxychloroquine in a COVID-19 patient on chronic Pregabalin therapy- Is it safe?Journal of anaesthesiology, clinical pharmacology · 2022Article
- Fibromyalgia in Older Individuals.Drugs & aging · 2021Review
- Gabapentinoid Abuse in France: Evidence on Health Consequences and New Points of Vigilance.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Article
- Opioid, gabapentinoid, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication use and the risks of atrial fibrillation and supraventricular ectopy in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2020Observational
- Membrane Stabilizer Medications in the Treatment of Chronic Neuropathic Pain: a Comprehensive Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2019Review
- Pain And The Use Of Gabapentinoids In German Nursing Home Residents - Results From An Analysis Based On Statutory Health Insurance Data.Journal of pain research · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionGabapentin and pregabalin are widely prescribed to elderly people, but data on their pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy in this population are scarce. Neurological adverse effects are common. Atrial fibrillation (AF) associated with their use has been described in several case reports and case series, but the incidence is unknown.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the association between exposure to gabapentin or pregabalin and AF in the elderly.
methodsPatients ≥ 65 years of age starting treatment with either gabapentin or pregabalin between January 1 and March 31, 2015, free of cardiovascular disease, and who did not receive the alternate study medications were studied. They were compared with patients who initiated treatment with an analgesic opiate or with alprazolam or diazepam. The two primary outcome variables were a first claim of an oral anticoagulant plus an antiarrhythmic drug (OAC + AA), or of an oral anticoagulant or an antiplatelet agent plus an antiarrhythmic drug (OAC/APA + AA), in the 3 months after treatment initiation.
resultsCompared with opiate analgesics, both gabapentin and pregabalin were associated with an increased risk of initiating OAC/APA + AA. The incidence was 6 of 668 (9.0 per 1000 patients) with gabapentin, versus 12 of 3889 (3.1 per 1000) with opiates, relative risk (RR) 2.91 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10-7.73), and for pregabalin it was 6 of 698 (8.6 per 1000) RR 2.79 (95% CI 1.05-7.40). The comparison with alprazolam/diazepam gave similar results. The risks did not vary by age, sex, or co-treatment with NSAIDs, and they increased with dose.
conclusionIn elderly patients free of cardiovascular disease, an association between new exposure to gabapentin or pregabalin and initiating treatment for AF was found. These results should be confirmed in other studies.
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