Neurontin and Lyrica are a Death Sentence for New Brain Synapses

A shocking study shows that these two drugs block the formation of new brain synapses1, drastically reducing the potential for rejuvenating brain plasticity – meaning that these drugs will cause brain decline that apparently robs one of the ability to rebuild. The study demonstrating this type of brain damage with these two drugs came out in 2009 but apparently the media has been very lax in getting any of this information to the public – most likely because they do not want to jeopardize their advertising income from this company.
But the patients are not the only ones not getting this information because the doctors are apparently clueless as well. I say that because first our Facebook group for these two drugs “Neurontin (Gabapentin) & Lyrica (Pregabalin) Should Be Illegal” is growing so quickly. Then this past Spring my brother working on some things in the backyard pulled a muscle in his back. I was shocked to learn that he had gone to the doctor for that and the doctor gave him a prescription for Neurontin!
When I asked when he had started having seizures that he would need an anti-seizure medication for he said, “What?!”
I had to explain to him that Neurontin is an anti-seizure medication and that the company had received two huge fines, totaling billions, from the FDA for prescribing it for anything else. And in 2010 they were even found guilty of RICO, yes racketeering, for encouraging doctors to prescribe this drug off label – for things it is not approved for-like pulling a muscle in your back! Then I shared with him the information in this study indicating the brain damage from the drug at which point he understandably decided not to take the drug.
Although I have included the full article on this below this is the link to the article which you need to follow to find the full research study if you want to take it to your doctor to educate him: https://www.wellnessresources.com/news/neurontin-and-lyrica-are-a-death-sentence-for-new-brain-synapses#ref1
Now my question is why on earth has the FDA not pulled these drugs from the market in light of this study? I ask that because before this study the worst I had seen in producing brain damage were the diet pills Fen-Phen and Redux which were pulled from the market due to the brain damage they produced … even though the media convinced the world those drugs were pulled because of the heart and lung damage. It was the brain damage the FDA was concerned about and had required studies from the maker to prove its safety. Something they had not yet done before Dr. Una Mc Cann at NIH put out a study showing the most horrific brain damage. Those drugs were pulled only days later.
Diet Pill article: http://articles.latimes.com/1997/aug/27/news/mn-26267

Neurontin and Lyrica are a Death Sentence for New Brain Synapses

October 15, 2009 | Byron J. Richards, Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist

Neurontin and Lyrica are a Death Sentence for New Brain Synapses

Neurontin and its newer more potent version, Lyrica, are widely used for off-label indications that are an outright flagrant danger to the public. These blockbuster drugs were approved for use even though the FDA had no idea what they actually did in the brain. A shocking new study shows that they block the formation of new brain synapses1, drastically reducing the potential for rejuvenating brain plasticity – meaning that these drugs will cause brain decline faster than any substance known to mankind.

The problem of these drugs is compounded by their flagrant illegal marketing. Neurontin was approved by the FDA for epilepsy back in 1994. The drug underwent massive illegal off-label promotion that cost Warner-Lambert 430 million dollars (the very first big fine for off-label promotion). The drug is now owned by Pfizer. Pfizer also owns Lyrica, a super-potent version of Neurontin. It has been approved by the FDA for various types of pain and fibromyalgia. Lyrica is one of four drugs which a subsidiary of Pfizer illegally marketed, resulting in a $2.3 billion settlement against Pfizer.

Even though the marketing of these drugs has been heavily fined, they continue to rack up billions in sales from the off-label uses. Doctors use them for all manner of nerve issues because they are good at suppressing symptoms. However, such uses can no longer be justified because the actual mechanism of the drugs is finally understood and they are creating a significant long-term reduction in nerve health.

The researchers in the above study try to downplay the serious nature of the drugs by saying “adult neurons don’t form many new synapses.” That is simply not true. The new science is showing that brain health during aging relies on the formation of new synapses. Even these researchers managed to question the common use of these medications in pregnant women. How is a fetus supposed to make new nerve cells when the mother is taking a drug that blocks them?

These are the kind of situations the FDA should be all over. As usual, the FDA is sitting around pondering a suicide warning for Lyrica while its off-label uses include bi-polar disorder and migraine headaches. The FDA is likely to twiddle its thumbs for the next decade on the brain damage issue. Consumer beware.

Referenced Studies

  1. ^ Neurontin and Lyrica are Highly Toxic to New Brain Synapses  Cell  Çagla Eroglu, Nicola J. Allen, Michael W. Susman, Nancy A. O’Rourke, Chan Young Park, Engin Özkan, Chandrani Chakraborty, Sara B. Mulinyawe, Douglas S. Annis, Andrew D. Huberman, Eric M. Green, Jack Lawler, Ricardo Dolmetsch, K. Christopher Garcia, Stephen