Neurontin for Everything
August 13, 2026
Neurontin for Everything
How a failed epilepsy drug became a $2.7 billion bestseller — through hidden science, fake studies, and bribed doctors.
Rodger Murphree
August 13, 2026
How a failed epilepsy drug became a $2.7 billion bestseller — through hidden science, fake studies, and bribed doctors.
By Dr. Rodger Murphree
When your doctor hands you a prescription, you trust the science behind it. But what if the drug company already knew it didn't work — and pushed it anyway? That's the real story behind a drug called Neurontin.
Journalist Melody Petersen uncovered it in her book Our Daily Meds, exposing a pattern of deceit, fabricated science, and bribery behind some of today's best-known drugs. Neurontin is one of the clearest examples.
A Drug That Failed Its First Test
Neurontin was first tested as an epilepsy treatment, and the results were poor. The drug barely worked — and in 5 to 10 percent of patients, it actually made seizures more frequent and more severe.
The FDA wasn't impressed either. It had real concerns about the drug's safety. Under pressure, the agency let Neurontin onto the market anyway, but only as a "second choice" — doctors were supposed to prescribe it after other epilepsy drugs had already failed.
That should have been the end of the story. It wasn't.
"Neurontin for Everything"
Pfizer's executives wanted Neurontin to be a hit, and weak science wasn't going to stand in the way. Studies had already shown the drug didn't work for ten conditions it was later sold for, including ADHD, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, diabetic nerve pain, mood disorders, migraines, and bipolar disorder. None of that stopped the marketing.
"Neurontin for pain. Neurontin for monotherapy. Neurontin for bi-polar. Neurontin for everything." — John Ford, marketing executive, at a sales meeting
"When we get out there, we want to kick some ass. We want to sell Neurontin for pain. All right? And monotherapy and everything we can talk about. That's what we want to do." — Phil Magistro, sales executive, in a voicemail to his team
And that's exactly what the sales team did. They pitched Neurontin for nearly every illness they could think of — and it worked. Of the $2.7 billion in total Neurontin sales, an enormous share came from uses the drug was never approved or proven for.
90% of prescriptions were for unproven uses | $2.7B in total sales | 10 conditions marketed without proof |
Hiding the Bad News
One study found Neurontin worked no better than a sugar pill for diabetic nerve pain. Pfizer didn't want doctors — or the public — to find out. A private memo said it plainly:
"I think we can limit the potential down sides of the study by delaying the publication for as long as possible... It will be more important how we write up the study."
New studies would cost money and might turn out badly too. So Pfizer chose a different path: skip the science, and just sell the drug.
Paying for Fake Science
To convince doctors, Pfizer needed studies and articles that made Neurontin look good — never mind what the real science said. Here's how they did it.
A ghostwriting firm called Medical Education Services was paid about $60,000 to write dozens of articles praising Neurontin. Real scientists didn't write them. Instead, real doctors were paid $1,000 each just to put their names on the finished pieces, making the articles look like genuine, doctor-authored research. One internal note from the ghostwriting firm says it all:
"Draft completed. We just need an author."
One of these fake articles was written to promote Neurontin to children with attention deficit disorder — a use never proven safe in kids.
Real Side Effects of Neurontin
Muscle pain
Skin rash and itching
Swollen glands
Sore throat and fever
Aggressiveness
Trouble concentrating
Depression
Nightmares
Chills
Higher risk of certain seizures
Mood or mental changes
Nosebleeds or unusual bruising
Shortness of breath
Mouth or lip sores
Unusual tiredness or weakness
Wheezing or chest tightness
Despite this list, sales reps were paid to convince doctors to prescribe Neurontin to children as young as ten. That should give anyone pause.
Buying Doctors' Loyalty
Pfizer worked directly on doctors too. Sales reps found that physicians loved being invited to "meet, greet, and treat" dinners — fancy meals where doctors were paid up to $300 just to sit through a sales pitch for Neurontin. Doctors who gave these talks themselves could earn up to $100,000 a year from Pfizer.
The perks didn't stop there. Some doctors were paid $750 to attend free trips, including one at the upscale Chateau Elan resort near Atlanta. On paper, these trips offered "continuing education." In reality, doctors sat through Neurontin sales talks in the morning, then spent afternoons at the pool, the spa, or the golf course — with free tickets to the 1996 Summer Olympic Games thrown in.
Eventually, Pfizer offered the simplest bribe of all: $350 to any doctor for every single patient they put on Neurontin.
Pay doctors to attend a dinner talk | $300 |
Pay doctors who give the talks (per year) | $100,000 |
Pay doctors to attend a "training" vacation | $750 |
Pay doctors for each patient started on Neurontin | $350 |
The Reckoning
2004 — Pfizer pleads guilty to criminal fraud over how it marketed Neurontin and agrees to pay $430 million.
October 2008 — A new lawsuit, filed by the same lawyer, claims Pfizer's misdeeds went even further than the first case charged.
The new court papers allege that Pfizer didn't just sell Neurontin for unapproved uses — it did so while already knowing the drug didn't work for several of those conditions. The papers describe it as:
"Outright deception of the biomedical community, and suppression of scientific truth."
That deception took three forms. Pfizer delayed or blocked unfavorable study results so they were never published. It shaped trial designs and data to make Neurontin look better than it was. And it used shady tactics to boost the drug's image and sales.
If it happened with Neurontin, what other drugs are being sold the same way?
The Bigger Question
Neurontin's story isn't really about one drug. It's a warning. It shows how a company can take a drug that barely worked — and in some cases made things worse — and turn it into a billion-dollar hit through marketing, bribery, and buried science. The real question is how many other drugs on pharmacy shelves got there the same way.
You can read more articles about potential dangers of Neurontin and Lyrica here https://yourfibrodoctor.com/blog/gabapentin-and-pregabalin-what-you-should-know
Dr. Rodger Murphree is a board-certified nutritional specialist and chiropractic physician who has been in private practice since 1990. He is the author of five books for patients and doctors, including Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Heart Disease: What Your Doctor Won't Tell You, and Treating and Beating Anxiety and Depression with Orthomolecular Medicine. His work has appeared in numerous peer and public media. He is on the Functional Medicine University Science Board and his courses on fibromyalgia, heart disease, mood disorders, and other chronic illnesses have been presented to doctors in summits, podcasts, continuing education conference. He has a telemedicine/video practice and works with patients worldwide. His podcast is Super Healthy Human. Free resources at his website www.superhealthyhuman.com
Sources
Melody Petersen, Our Daily Meds, Sarah Crichton Books, New York, NY, 2008.
Keith Winstein, "Suit Alleges Pfizer Spun Unfavorable Drug Studies," Wall Street Journal, October 2008.
Alicia Mack, PhD, "Examination of the Evidence for Off-Label Use of Gabapentin," Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy, Nov-Dec 2003.