A Case Report of Reduction in Alcohol Craving and Protection Against Alcohol Withdrawal by Gabapentin

Letter to the Editor

Sir: Gabapentin is a novel anticonvulsant that has been used in the treatment of epilepsy and, more recently, psychiatric disorders, including bipolar affective disorder, behavioral dyscontrol, and anxiety disorders. We have had good results in using it to augment selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with few, and generally benign, side effects. We describe here a serendipitous finding: a patient with OCD and comorbid, long-standing severe alcohol dependency lost his craving for alcohol and stopped drinking precipitously without signs of withdrawal approximately 3 weeks after beginning treatment with gabapentin.