Opening gabalactam to gabapentin under acidic conditions (i.e. conc. HCl, 24 h, 100 °C) is, I guess, the simplest method. Hydrogenation will reduce something in your molecule, and then you will not receive amino acid.
See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201207803 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201204270