If you took gabapentin (brand name Neurontin) and later developed dementia, cognitive impairment, kidney damage, severe withdrawal symptoms, or respiratory problems, or if a family member died from an overdose or suicide while taking the drug, you may be able to file a gabapentin lawsuit against Pfizer and other manufacturers. There is currently no class action or multidistrict litigation for these injury claims. Each case is filed individually, and most firms handling them work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning no upfront cost and payment only if you recover money.1Sokolove Law. Gabapentin Lawsuit
Who Qualifies to File
Eligibility depends on the injury alleged, but qualifying claims generally involve one of the following:
- Cognitive impairment or dementia
- Kidney damage or renal failure
- Physical dependence and severe withdrawal
- Respiratory depression, particularly when gabapentin was taken with opioids
- Suicidal ideation or completed suicide (wrongful death)
- Overdose death
For dementia-related claims specifically, one firm has published these criteria: the person took gabapentin six or more times between 2000 and 2024, the drug was prescribed for a condition other than epileptic seizures or shingles-related nerve pain, and the person received an early-onset dementia diagnosis before age 65.1Sokolove Law. Gabapentin Lawsuit
The off-label element matters. Research shows that between 83% and 95% of gabapentin prescriptions are for uses the FDA never approved, including chronic back pain, migraines, anxiety, fibromyalgia, and bipolar disorder.2PMC. Gabapentin Off-Label Prescribing Patterns Many of the injury claims focus on this off-label prescribing pattern.
Whatever the injury, attorneys need enough medical documentation to have an expert draw a connection between the gabapentin use and the harm.3LawFold. Gabapentin Lawsuit 2026
What You’ll Need to Start a Claim
Before contacting a firm, gather what you can. The stronger your documentation, the faster a firm can evaluate whether to take the case.
- Prescription records, including pharmacy printouts showing duration and dosage of gabapentin use.
- Medical records documenting the injury or diagnosis, with dates that show timing in relation to gabapentin use.
- Information about why gabapentin was prescribed. This is especially important if the prescription was for an off-label condition.
- Records of out-of-pocket costs, lost wages, rehabilitation bills, or other financial losses tied to the injury.
How to Sign Up
Because there is no class action or MDL to opt into for these injury claims, signing up means retaining a law firm to file your own case. The typical process is straightforward: contact a firm handling gabapentin claims, complete a phone or online intake, and receive a free case evaluation.1Sokolove Law. Gabapentin Lawsuit
Firms working these cases generally operate on contingency. You pay nothing upfront, and the firm collects a percentage of any settlement or verdict. If there is no recovery, you owe no fee.4Simmons Hanly Conroy. Gabapentin Lawsuit
Filing individually rather than joining a consolidated action has one practical consequence: each case is evaluated on its own facts, including the specific diagnosis, the severity of the injury, and the personal impact on the patient’s life. Whether these cases will eventually be consolidated into an MDL is an open question the courts have not resolved.1Sokolove Law. Gabapentin Lawsuit
Filing Deadlines
Every state sets its own statute of limitations for personal injury claims, typically two to three years. In most states, though, gabapentin cases fall under the discovery rule. That means the clock does not start on the date you were first prescribed the drug. It starts when you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, that your injury was connected to gabapentin.3LawFold. Gabapentin Lawsuit 2026
This matters for many potential plaintiffs. The major dementia study linking gabapentin to cognitive decline was published in July 2025, and the FDA updated the drug’s label in April 2025. Someone who developed cognitive problems years ago but only recently connected them to gabapentin may be able to argue their filing window opened with that newer evidence. Tolling exceptions can also apply for minors or people who are legally incapacitated, though these are handled case-by-case and state-by-state.5JustAnswer. Gabapentin Lawsuit Memory Loss Claims
If you think you may have a claim, do not wait to have the deadline analyzed. State law and the facts of your case both drive the answer.
The Evidence Behind the Dementia Claims
A July 2025 study published in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine is the primary scientific basis for the current dementia-related lawsuits. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University reviewed electronic health records for more than 52,000 adults with chronic low back pain, comparing those prescribed gabapentin against matched patients who were not.6BMJ Group. Nerve Pain Drug Gabapentin Linked to Increased Dementia, Cognitive Impairment Risks
Patients with six or more gabapentin prescriptions were 29% more likely to develop dementia and 85% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment within ten years of their initial pain diagnosis. Among patients aged 18 to 64, the risk of dementia more than doubled. For those aged 35 to 49 specifically, the risk of dementia was 2.4 times higher and the risk of cognitive impairment was 3.5 times higher than for non-users.7Medscape. Does Gabapentin Raise Dementia Risk
The study also found a dose-response pattern. Patients with 12 or more prescriptions were 40% more likely to develop dementia and 65% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than patients with three to eleven prescriptions.8PubMed. Risk of Dementia Following Gabapentin Prescription in Chronic Low Back Pain Patients
The researchers acknowledged that the study is observational and cannot prove gabapentin directly caused the dementia. Some outside experts have suggested that factors such as reduced physical activity among chronic pain patients could partially explain the results.7Medscape. Does Gabapentin Raise Dementia Risk
Other Documented Risks
In December 2019, the FDA warned that gabapentin can cause serious breathing problems for elderly patients, people with lung disease, and anyone taking opioids or other sedating drugs at the same time. The agency required new label warnings and ordered manufacturers to conduct clinical trials on abuse potential when the drug is combined with opioids.9FDA. Gabapentin and Pregabalin Drug Safety Communication
A CDC analysis found gabapentin in nearly 5,700 of roughly 58,400 overdose deaths across 23 states and Washington, D.C., between 2019 and 2020. Opioids were involved in about 90% of those fatal overdoses.10Colorado HCPF. DUR Newsletter Fall 2023 A separate Ontario study published in PLOS Medicine found that people taking gabapentin and opioids together had 49% higher odds of dying from opioid-related causes than those on opioids alone.11PMC. Gabapentin, Opioids, and the Risk of Opioid-Related Death
In April 2025, the FDA updated the label again, adding warnings about withdrawal risks in patients who stop the drug and neonatal withdrawal when mothers use gabapentin with opioids near delivery.12AES. FDA News and Alerts Some states have since reclassified gabapentin as a Schedule V controlled substance, including Montana as of October 2025.13Montana Board of Pharmacy. Gabapentin Fact Sheet for Pharmacies and Pharmacists
What the Lawsuits Allege
Current lawsuits allege that long-term gabapentin use causes cognitive impairment and early-onset dementia, and that Pfizer and other manufacturers knew or should have known about these risks. Additional claims involve kidney damage, physical dependence and severe withdrawal, respiratory depression when gabapentin is combined with opioids, and suicidal ideation. Wrongful death claims have been filed on behalf of people who died from overdoses or completed suicide while taking the drug.3LawFold. Gabapentin Lawsuit 2026
Pfizer has a prior legal history with Neurontin. In 2004, Warner-Lambert, which Pfizer acquired in 2000, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of misbranding Neurontin and paid more than $430 million in criminal and civil penalties for marketing the drug for unapproved uses.14U.S. Department of Justice. Warner-Lambert to Pay $430 Million to Resolve Criminal and Civil Health Care Liability Later settlements with insurers and generic-competition plaintiffs brought Pfizer’s total Neurontin-related payouts to roughly $945 million.15Fierce Pharma. Pfizer Adds Another $325M to Neurontin Settlement Tally None of that money went to individual patients injured by the drug, which is the distinction that defines the current wave of claims.
Gabapentin was the fifth most dispensed medication in the United States in 2024, with nearly 59 million prescriptions filled that year.16Medscape. Gabapentin Use Keeps Rising, Especially Among Older Adults If you believe gabapentin caused your injury or a loved one’s death, a case evaluation from a firm handling these claims is free and carries no obligation.