Early effects of scheduling gabapentin on medication adherence among epilepsy patients on gabapentin in Virginia - PubMed

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Gabapentin was scheduled as a controlled substance in Virginia due to concerns about misuse and diversion.
The study aimed to estimate the effect of Virginia's gabapentin scheduling on medication adherence among epilepsy patients.
Using claims data from Virginia and Colorado (2017-2019), researchers analyzed patients with focal seizures on gabapentin, pregabalin, or levetiracetam.
The primary outcome was the proportion of days covered (PDC) over six-month periods.
A triple-difference approach was used to compare patients pre- vs. post-policy, in Virginia vs. Colorado, and on gabapentin vs. a comparison medication.
Gabapentin scheduling in Virginia led to a 3.6 percentage point decrease in PDC (p < 0.001).
The share of epilepsy patients with ≥80% of days covered dropped from 67.5% to 60.2% (adjusted difference: -7.5%, p < 0.001).
Concurrent opioid prescriptions did not significantly change, and excluding these patients had minimal effect on results.
The study concludes that scheduling gabapentin was associated with a decline in medication adherence among epilepsy patients.
Continued research is needed to assess the impact of gabapentin scheduling on patient care and access barriers.

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