Gabapentin causes hallucinations in elderly patients.

Is it true that gabapentin causes hallucinations in elderly patients?

Partly. Reference sources list hallucinations as a rare serious side effect of gabapentin, and one case report links gabapentin toxicity to hallucinations in a patient with renal failure, but none establishes that gabapentin causes hallucinations specifically in elderly patients. Two case reports in elderly patients describe gabapentin improving rather than causing hallucinations, so the evidence only partially addresses the claim.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 3 sources for, 2 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Gabapentin. (n.d.). en.wikipedia.org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabapentin

Charles- Bonnet Syndrome: a case review. The objective of this poster is to contribute a case to the existing series, and thus get closer to the knowledge of this clinical entity.. (2023). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.1981

Pierce, D. A., Holt, S. R., & Reeves-Daniel, A. (2008). A probable case of gabapentin-related reversible hearing loss in a patient with acute renal failure.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2008.09.004

Side effects of gabapentin - NHSNHS. (n.d.). nhs.uk. https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/gabapentin/side-effects-of-gabapentin/

Effects of gabapentin enacarbil on restless legs syndrome and leg pain in dementia with L ewy bodies. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1111/psyg.12043