Lavigne, J.E., Heckler, C., Mathews, J.L., Palesh, O., Kirshner, J.J., Lord, R., . . . Mustian, K. (2012). A randomized, controlled, double-blinded clinical trial of gabapentin 300 versus 900 mg versus placebo for anxiety symptoms in breast cancer survivors. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, 136, 479–486.
To compare the efficacy of gabapentin 300 mg and 900 mg for controlling anxiety symptoms among breast cancer survivors
Patients were randomly assigned to receive 300 mg or 900 mg of gabapentin or placebo daily. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, four weeks, and eight weeks.
Patients were undergoing the transition phase of care after initial treatment.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized controlled trial design was used.
At four weeks, patients on gabapentin showed significant reduction in anxiety scores (p = 0.005). Patients with the highest baseline anxiety scores had the greatest improvement, and those with low anxiety levels had little change. These patterns were maintained at the eight-week follow-up. The greatest improvement in anxiety was seen in those getting 300 mg of gabapentin. Anxiety scores of those on placebo also declined, but changes were not significant.
Gabapentin 300 mg daily was effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety in these breast cancer survivors.
This study demonstrated that 300 mg of gabapentin daily was effective in controlling anxiety symptoms among breast cancer survivors who had been experiencing hot flashes and had relatively high baseline anxiety. Gabapentin is currently off label in psychiatry to treat anxiety symptoms and commonly used to treat hot flashes and neuropathic pain in breast cancer survivors. As shown in other research, improvement in anxiety symptoms tends to be found in patients who have clinically relevant levels of anxiety to begin with. Nurses can consider and advocate for use of gabapentin to manage anxiety in these patients.