Gabapentin in the treatment of post-dural puncture headache: A case series

Abstract

Gabapentin has been reported to be useful in the management of epilepsy, neuropathic pain and post-dural puncture headache. Seventeen obstetric cases are presented in which gabapentin was used either as a primary therapy for the management of severe headache following a diagnosed dural puncture or as an analgesic adjunct in patients with dural puncture headache unresponsive to epidural blood patch. In our patients, analgesic therapy was essential to enable care of their newborns as other management options had failed or were unavailable. In nine patients we observed an excellent result with reduction of headache severity within 24 hours. Gabapentin appears potentially beneficial in the management of patients with post-dural puncture headaches.