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drug_recall neurontinNeurontin, also known by the generic name Gabapentin, is prescribed to relieve the burning nerve associated with a bout of shingles, an infection caused by the virus that causes chickenpox.
One of the first symptoms of shingles is an intense, stabbing pain in the skin, accompanied by a rash. Pain usually subsides in three to five weeks, but can linger in people with disorders of the immune system. If the pain persists, it may be that the shingles victim has developed post-herpetic neuralgia, a chronic neuropathic pain condition that often follows a shingles attack. Studies of patients suffering from post-herpetic neuralgia have found that Neurontin greatly reduces the effects of this extremely painful condition that may last for years after the shingles rash has disappeared.
Neurontin is an anticonvulsant drug that is mainly used to treat seizures that accompany epilepsy, however it has also been found useful in treating patients who suffer from central pain syndrome. This neurological condition is caused by damage to or dysfunction of the central nervous system, which includes the brain, brainstem and spinal cord. Neurontin has been found helpful to people with central pain syndrome, because epilepsy may be the cause of the damage to the central nervous system. Other causes of damage include stroke, multiple sclerosis, tumors, brain or spinal cord trauma, and Parkinson''s disease.
The pain that occurs during central pain syndrome varies in severity depending on the case. It may occur all over the body or be restricted to specific areas, such as the hands or feet, where pain is usually most intense. Pain is typically constant and can occur to varying degrees and in various forms. It also can be made worse by touch, movement, emotions and temperature changes; sensitivity to cold temperatures is a common characteristic of central pain syndrome.
Painful sensations that may occur include burning, a pins and needles feeling, or a pressing, lacerating or aching pain, accompanied by brief, intolerable bursts of sharp pain.
While Neurontin has been FDA-approved to treat seizures and nerve pain, many doctors are using it to treat other chronic pain-related conditions in what are known as "off-label" uses. Physicians, pharmacists and the drug''s manufacturers have come under fire for marketing the drug for these off-label uses. Migraine headaches, back pain and diabetes-related pain are examples of such conditions that have been treated with Neurontin.
The FDA has requested 14 drugmakers to check their study data to see if use of epilepsy drugs results in suicidal behavior or thoughts, giving the drugmakers six months to respond.
Sales of anti-seizure drugs in the U.S. during 2004 were th...
Just weeks after Pfizer and its Warner-Lambert Co. unit were penalized $430 million in federal and state courts for selling Neurontin for purposes that have not yet been FDA approved, the company is again under fire for fraudulent marketing practices. ...
The world''s largest drug manufacturer, Pfizer, Inc., agreed to pay at least $400 million in order to settle civil charges regarding kickbacks to encourage doctors to prescribe the anti-epileptic drug Neurontin for other purposes.
The se...