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Low-dose Gabapentin in Treatment of High-Altitude Headache
Jafarian S, Gorouhi F, Salimi S, Lotfi J.
Posted: May 2008  
Cephalalgia  2007;27:1274-1277

Headache is the most prevalent symptom of acute mountain sickness. We conducted a pilot clinical trial at an altitude of 3500 m to evaluate the efficacy of gabapentin in treatment of high-altitude headache (HAH). Twenty-four adult HAH patients (10 female, 14 male; age 18-50 years) were randomly assigned to receive either 300 mg. of gabapentin capsule or identical placebo. After 1 hour the presence of HAH and need to receive supplementary analgesic were assessed. The duration of HAH-free phase after taking additional analgesic was also registered. Four patients in the gabapentin group asked for additional analgesics, whereas 9 placebo recipients did not find primary medication satisfactory after the first hour of treatment. The mean HAH-free period was significantly higher in the gabapentin group than in the placebo group. This preliminary observation indicates that gabapentin is effective in treatment and alleviation of HAH.