SynthesisAddiction (Abingdon, England)2019
A meta-analysis of the efficacy of gabapentin for treating alcohol use disorder.
Synthesis in Addiction (Abingdon, England), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 54 papers, 4 of them syntheses 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
54 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 115 citations in OpenAlex.
- Audiovestibular Dysfunction in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Systematic Review of Human Primary Clinical Evidence.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Which interventions for alcohol use should be included in a universal healthcare benefit package? An umbrella review of targeted interventions to address harmful drinking and dependence.BMC public health · 2023Pooled it
- Alcohol use disorder with comorbid anxiety disorder: a case report and focused literature review.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2022Pooled it
- Pharmacotherapies for Adults With Alcohol Use Disorders: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.Journal of addiction medicinePooled it
- Emergency department-initiated oral naltrexone for patients with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder: A pilot feasibility study.Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine · 2025Trial
- Pilot RCT comparing low-dose naltrexone, gabapentin and placebo to reduce pain among people with HIV with alcohol problems.PloS one · 2024Trial
- Effects of Gabapentin on Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex GABA and Glutamate Levels and Their Associations With Abstinence in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.The American journal of psychiatry · 2021Trial
- Pilot randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of high-dose gabapentin for alcohol use disorder.Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research · 2021Trial
- Opioid and Dopamine Genes Interact to Predict Naltrexone Response in a Randomized Alcohol Use Disorder Clinical Trial.Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research · 2020Trial
- Gabapentin Enacarbil Extended-Release Versus Placebo: A Likely Responder Reanalysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research · 2020Trial
- Efficacy of Gabapentin for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder in Patients With Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA internal medicine · 2020Trial
- Sleep as an Important Target or Modifier in Alcohol Use Disorder Clinical Treatment: Example From a Recent Gabapentin Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of addiction medicineTrial
- Prazosin-Related Reductions in Daily Craving Mediate Treatment-Related Daily Alcohol Use Outcomes in Alcohol Use Disorder.Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026Article
- Article
- High Prevalence of Unhealthy Alcohol Use Among Persons with HIV, Viral Non-suppression and Any Alcohol Use in Mbarara, Uganda: A Brief Report.AIDS and behavior · 2026Article
- Bridging genomics and pharmacoepidemiology to expand treatment options for alcohol use disorder.Alcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2026Article
- Comparative effectiveness of gabapentin and pregabalin on reduction in alcohol use: A nationwide observational cohort study.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Bridging Genomics and Pharmacoepidemiology to Expand Treatment Options for Alcohol Use Disorder.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Pharmacotherapy to Prevent Alcohol Relapse in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease.Current gastroenterology reports · 2025Review
- Gabapentin to achieve HIV viral load suppression in people with risky drinking in Mbarara, Uganda: study protocol for a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial (GRAIL).Research square · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
aimsStudies of the efficacy of gabapentin for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) have yielded mixed findings. The aims of our study were to estimate gabapentin's effects on six alcohol-related outcomes, test potential moderators, examine publication bias and evaluate the quality of the studies.
methodsMeta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Using PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov, we selected RCTs of gabapentin's effects on alcohol consumption or a biochemical correlate of it, excluding studies limited to other primary outcomes or that combined gabapentin with other medications. We assessed study quality and used a random-effects model to analyze each outcome measure and the Egger regression test and funnel plots to assess publication bias.
resultsWe identified seven RCTs of gabapentin that met study criteria. The quality of the studies overall was good, and there was no evidence of publication bias. Four to seven studies contributed to the analysis of the six outcome measures. For all outcome measures the effect estimates were in a direction that favored gabapentin over placebo. However, only for percentage of heavy drinking days was there good evidence of a benefit (g = -0.64, 95% confidence interval = -1.22 to -0.06).
conclusionsAlthough gabapentin appears to be more efficacious than placebo in treating AUD, the only measure on which the analysis clearly favors the active medication is percentage of heavy drinking days. Additional studies are needed to define more clearly the role of gabapentin in AUD treatment.
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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.