Disease × agent evidence record

Gabapentin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): evidence, trials and status

Trials of Gabapentin in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are registered but none has completed, so there is no outcome evidence from those studies yet; the record is a signal of research interest.

1 registered trials 0 recruiting 9 publications Evidence tier A · Strong Score 52.5
Research Tracker › Pairs › Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) › Gabapentin
Research map, not treatment advice. This page aggregates registry and literature records. It does not evaluate efficacy, dosing or safety for any individual. Discuss any treatment decision with a qualified clinician.

Summary

Gabapentin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Gabapentin to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT01678911). It plans or enrolled 11 participants. Registered activity dates to 2012. The literature layer holds 9 publications for this pair: 5 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 1 systematic review and 2 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2000 to 2025. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.

The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Irritable Bowel Syndrome ranks 228 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: IBS is chronic and remitting; spontaneous 'remission' (symptom resolution without treatment) in ~30-40% at 2 years but symptom recurrence common; 10-20% develop persistent daily symptoms; <10% achieve permanent remission.

Open in Repurposing ExplorerIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) hubIrritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) biomarkers & interventions

Evidence table

Evidence tierA · Strong
Evidence score52.5 (trials 2.5, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0)
Registered trials1 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 1 other
Linked publications9 (5 Cochrane reviews, 2 clinical trial publications, 1 meta-analysis, 1 systematic review)
Agent typeDrug (Small molecule)
Development stage (any indication)Approved
Mechanism / classmodulator
Data sourcesDGIdb
Linked via biomarker / targetCACNA1G
How the evidence score is calculated
  • Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
  • Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
  • The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
  • Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
  • The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.

Registered clinical trials

NCT IDTitleStatusPhaseEnrolment
NCT01678911Efficacy of Gralise® for Chronic Pelvic Pain
2012
terminatedPhase 411

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Published literature

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Mechanism and notes

Recorded mechanism or class: modulator.

OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CACNA1G. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gabapentin approved for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

Gabapentin has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.

Is Gabapentin in clinical trials for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Gabapentin to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT01678911). It plans or enrolled 11 participants. Registered activity dates to 2012.

What does the evidence show for Gabapentin in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?

Trials of Gabapentin in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are registered but none has completed, so there is no outcome evidence from those studies yet; the record is a signal of research interest. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CACNA1G. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.

Cite this page

Open Source Medicine Foundation. Gabapentin for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): evidence, trials and status. OSMF Research Tracker. Updated 2026-07-05. https://research.opensourcemed.info/pairs/irritable-bowel-syndrome/gabapentin.html

Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.

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This is a research map, not treatment advice. Evidence tiers and scores summarise what has been studied, not whether a treatment works or is safe for you.