Assistant Professor, Anesthesia and Analgesia Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine North Grafton, Massachusetts
Evaluation of Prescribing Practices for Gabapentin as an Analgesic Among Veterinary Professionals. Reader R1, Olaitan O2, McCobb E1. 1Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA; 2University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA.
Veterinary use of gabapentin has increased dramatically despite little evidence that it is an effective analgesic for veterinary patients. Similar trends in prescribing practices have been documented in human medicine. The objective of this study was to describe the prescribing practices for gabapentin among veterinarians to determine if they mirror those of human physicians. An anonymous online survey was sent to veterinarians within the United States and Canada, including general practitioners and Diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia; American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care; American College of Veterinary Surgeons; and American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. Survey questions covered frequency of use, reasons for prescribing, authorization of refills, perceptions of efficacy, and potential for abuse in people. Frequency of prescribing was high with 68.9% (365/529) using gabapentin as an analgesic on a daily or weekly basis. Surgeons and general practitioners used gabapentin significantly more frequently compared to other groups, with surgeons more likely to prescribe gabapentin for postoperative pain. The most common reason (254/517, (49.1%)) respondents prescribed gabapentin was because the patient could not receive a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. The majority of respondents (362/527, (68.9%)) considered the abuse potential of gabapentin to be low in people. Study limitations include the use of a convenience sample, unequal total numbers of respondents between groups, and some survey distribution limited geographically. This study demonstrated that veterinary prescribing practices for gabapentin mirror those of human physicians, with gabapentin prescribed frequently and often unrelated to its labeled indication. Awareness of the potential for human abuse of gabapentin is low among veterinarians.