Gabapentin-induced myositis in a patient with spinal cord injury – a case report

Abstract

Myositis and rhabdomyolysis are the same forms of myopathy, with rhabdomyolysis being a more severe form of myopathy. Gabapentin is frequently used in patients with spinal cord injury for neuropathic pain. We report a case of probable gabapentin-induced myositis in a patient with spinal cord injury who was on an increasing dose of gabapentin. This paraplegic patient was receiving an increasing dose of gabapentin for neuropathic pain in the lower limbs. Gabapentin-induced myositis was diagnosed by a combination of new-onset generalized body pain with tenderness, an increase in creatine kinase, elevated myoglobin levels, and a score of 6 on the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale. Withdrawal of the gabapentin resolved the symptoms completely. Blood parameters became normal within two weeks. We suggest that myopathy, in the form of myositis, should be recognized as a potential side effect of gabapentin in the literature.

Rhabdomyolysis associated with newer-generation anti-seizure medications (ASMs): a real-world retrospective and pharmacovigilance study

“…We identified 26 case reports of rhabdomyolysis induced by newer-generation ASMs, with 26 patients included (10 males and 16 females) ( Kaufman and Choy, 2012 ; Gunathilake et al, 2013 ; Akiyama et al, 2014 ; Isaacson et al, 2014 ; Spengler et al, 2014 ; Incecik et al, 2016 ; Karaoulanis et al, 2016 ; Kato et al, 2016 ; Ramon et al, 2016 ; Singh et al, 2016 ; Choi et al, 2017 ; Coupal et al, 2017 ; Di Lorenzo and Li, 2017 ; Kubota et al, 2017 ; Shahbaz et al, 2017 ; Matsudaira et al, 2018 ; Mena-Martin et al, 2018 ; Rastogi et al, 2018 ; Rota et al, 2018 ; Qiu et al, 2019 ; Thomas et al, 2019 ; Aslan et al, 2020 ; Ghosh et al, 2020 ; Moinuddin, 2020 ; Alshehabi et al, 2022 ; Boucher et al, 2022 ) ( Table 3 ). All the studies were published in English and originated from the following regions: 10 cases from South America, 10 cases from Asia, 5 cases from Europe and 1 case from Oceania.…”