The aim of this study was to gain insights into the role played by some excipients on the stability of gabapentin 1 and baclofen 2 which can undergo degradation giving rise to the corresponding lactams 2-azaspiro[4.5]decan-3-one 3 and 4-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-pyrrolidone 4, respectively. A screening study was carried out on drug and drug-excipient freeze-dried mixtures at 50 degrees C and under three different humidity values by using a number of commonly available excipients. These include hydroxypropyl-beta-(HP-beta-CD), sulfobutyl-beta-cyclodextrin (SBE-beta-CD), lactose, raffinose, trehalose, PVP-K30 and mannitol. For most cases, it was found that the lactam formation can be satisfactory described by an apparent zero-order equation. Excipients shown to negatively impact gabapentin stability are HP-beta-CD, SBE-beta-CD, lactose and PVP K30 while only this last excipient had a significant effect on the degradation of baclofen. The results can be rationalized in terms of conformational factors favouring the intramolecular dehydration reaction. A positive effect of moisture on the lactamization process was observed under some circumstances. Water may provide a favourable environment for degradation. These findings, taken together, should be considered during the selection of excipients for a possible formulation of gabapentin and baclofen.