Gabapentin for Refractory Chronic Cough?

Refractory chronic cough might be related to sensitization of the central cough reflex. Gabapentin can alleviate neuropathic pain by modifying central pain sensitization, and two small case series previously suggested that gabapentin might also be effective against chronic cough.

Australian investigators randomized 62 adults with at least 8 weeks of refractory chronic cough to gabapentin (titrated to a maximum dose of 1800 mg daily) or placebo for 10 weeks. Participants had no known respiratory disease and no response to inhaled or oral steroids, nasal steroids or antihistamines, or proton-pump inhibitors; these or other drugs for cough could be continued throughout the trial.

Compared with placebo patients, gabapentin patients showed signifi…