Treatment of diabetic neuropathic pain with gabapentin alone or combined with vitamin B complex. Preliminary results

Neuropathic pain is a syndrome that affects around 1% of population. This condition can be severely disabling and traditional analgesics are useless against this type of pain. Several adjuvants such as the anticonvulsive agent gabapentin have been used to treat diabetic neuropathy with several degrees of effectiveness, but it is characterized of a high incidence of dizziness, somnolence and ataxia. Previously we have found a functional synergistic interaction after co-administration of gabapentin and B vitamins by using a neuropathic pain model in the rat. In order to evaluate the efficacy of gabapentin and B vitamins in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy in humans we carried out a comparative trial. In this study are presented preliminary results from 6 patients assigned to two groups: group A (n=3) received gabapentin, and group B (n=3) received gabapentin plus B vitamins. In both groups, the dose was increased at weekly intervals, and characteristics of pain and some parameters of quality of life were assessed. Both treatments significantly reduced pain and improved quality of life in the patients. Dizziness was the main adverse event observed in both groups. Data suggest that the combination of gabapentin and B vitamins could be an alternative treatment for diabetic neuropathic patients.