Gabapentin Trial

While numerous medications are empirically tried to address PIUO, there is scant evidence to support these choices. The drug gabapentin, based on limited evidence and experience, is considered part of the standard approach for PIUO. It was recently promoted in a clinical guideline published by the American Academy of Pediatrics*. We are trialing gabapentin to test its efficacy and determine what optimal dosing might look like in individual cases. We will do this using a novel approach to studying medication effects in children with neurological conditions, called an n-of-1 trial. In n-of-1 trials every individual tests both the active drug and placebo and serves as their own control.  

We hope that this trial will help us evaluate gabapentin as a drug and refine the n-of-1 approach that can then be applied to the several other medications used empirically for PIUO. We also hope that it will provide useful, individualized information about every participating child.

Participation in the Gabapentin Trial can be done via telehealth and by answering questionnaires online. This infographic shows you what happens every day on the gabapentin trial. The trial is open to families living in British Columbia only. We will enroll 10 children in the trial.

* Hauer J, Houtrow AJ. (2017). Pain Assessment and Treatment in Children With Significant Impairment of the Central Nervous System. Pediatrics. 2017;139(6):e20171002