Nobody has a Gabapentin Deficiency
In my last post, I mentioned how Omeprazole which is commonly prescribed for a host of gut ailments, has been linked to dementia (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5883984/) Today it was brought to my attention that another popular drug, Gabapentin, has also been linked to dementia. (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10266423/).
Dementia in the United States is set to double by the year 2060 (https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/risk-future-burden-dementia-united-states). While nothing can prevent every case, why are we still prescribing medication known to increase the risk? Well, surely doctors are only prescribing these drugs when absolutely necessary, right?
Yesterday, I met with a client, a relatively healthy 25 year old female who has some issues with anxiety. She has had insomnia for about the last month. I was shocked when she told me she was prescribed Gabapentin, “but at a really low dose” she said when my mouth fell open. She went on to tell me, it worked for her the first two nights, but on the third it didn’t, so she planned on discontinuing it.
It is my practice to brain storm all kinds od issues with my clients. So, I asked her, “When was the last time you had your iron checked?”
“Last fall, it was low, so was vitamin D and maybe something else. I took an iron supplement for awhile but it constipated me so much I stopped taking it.”
She was planning to get blood work done later on in the day and I encouraged her to do so. She has no major external stressors at this time and says worry is not a factor in keeping her up at night. Therefore a deficiency is a likely culprit Any significant deficiency can send our body into fight or flight, and then, we don’t sleep.
In 2018, a study published in Open Heart indicated that 50% of people in the United States have a magnesium deficiency. This study referred to it as a public health crisis and cited magnesium deficiency as a major cause of cardiovascular disease. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5786912/. So what does that have to do with sleep? Magnesium deficiencies are known to cause sleep disturbances. In a 2024 study a significant correlation between Magnesium deficiency and sleep quality was shown. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38703902/ So, with all that, Magnesium is always a good place to start if you are having trouble with sleep. Furthermore, it is far and away much safer than a drug like Gabapentin. You are simply giving your body the nutrients it needs to function.
Now the client’s known iron deficiency could also be the cause of her insomnia. She already told me she didn’t like the iron supplement she was taking because it constipated her. She reminded me that she had purchased an iron fish at my suggestion but said, “I don’t boil all of my food.” https://luckyironlife.com. My recommendation for was to look into a beef organ supplement, high in vitamin B, high in Iron and also contains more hard to get nutrients like Manganese, and Selenium. Beef organ supplements are much easier to digest and are much more bioavailable than the alternatives, making them my multivitamin and iron supplement of choice.
(If you are looking for recommendations please go to my recommendations page and check under vitamins).