Background: Fibromyalgia is a difficult-to-treat chronic musculoskeletal pain and tenderness syndrome. It is considered due to augmented pain processing in central nervous system. Interest in antiepileptic drugs, included pregabalin, for treatment of fibromyalgia is currently growing. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of pregabalin for fibromyalgia. Methods: We conducted the study according to the meta-analysis PRISMA guideline. Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from a search of PubMed and Cochrane databases. Quality of selected studies was assessed using Jadad score for randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCT). Primary outcome was pain score reduction (30% and 50% reduction) and secondary outcome was patient global impression of change. Statistical analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3. Results: Six international, multicenter, high-quality RCTs with 8-15 weeks duration of treatment met inclusion criteria. Four studies used different fixed dose (300 mg/d, 450 mg/d, 600mg/d) and 2 studies used titrated dose in evaluating the efficacy of pregabalin. There was statistically significant benefit of pregabalin over placebo in mean pain score reduction [odds ratio (OR) 1.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.56-2.10 p < 0.00001 in fixed dose pregabalin 30% pain reduction; OR 2.06 95% CI 1.66-2.56 p < 0.00001 in fixed dose pregabalin 50% pain reduction; OR 1.53 95% CI 1.10-2.13 p 0.01 in titrated dose pregabalin 30% pain reduction; OR 1.80 95% CI 1.12-2.88 p 0.01 in titrated dose pregabalin 50% pain reduction]. Pregabalin also demonstrated significantly better patient global impression of change than placebo. No heterogeneity was seen in most groups. No publication bias was observed. Conclusion Our study showed pregabalin monotherapy was effective for pain treatment associated with fibromyalgia. Further studies with longer treatment duration are needed to confirm the long-term effectiveness of pregabalin for fibromyalgia treatment.
Fibromyalgia ; Pregabalin ; Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Current therapy for the treatment of neuropathic pain is often unsatisfactory. Considerable variation in treatment pattern still exists in spite of availability of sufficient literature from various guidelines. Recent Indian market data suggested that the utilization (sale) of drugs such as amitriptyline, pregabalin, and gabapentin was more for low-dose unit packs than that of the high-dose unit packs, raising the belief that these drugs are prescribed at a lower dose than is actually recommended in the guidelines. To test this hypothesis, a survey was conducted across speciality throughout the country to observe the prescription pattern of these drugs amongst the health care providers in India. METHODS: Three hundred fifty survey forms were distributed of which 281 forms were included for analysis. RESULTS: It was observed that the commonly used initiation and maintenance dose for amitriptyline, pregabalin, and gabapentin was 5–10 mg/day, 50–75 mg/day, and 100–300 mg/day, respectively. The reason to select the lower dosages was to have a balancing effect to achieve good efficacy with minimum side effects. Care-givers reported no side effects/not many side effects as a reason in 22.2%, 16.88%, and 23.86% patients with amitriptyline, pregabalin, and gabapentin, respectively. Sedation and giddiness were commonly reported with all three drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Commonly prescribed drugs for management of neuropathic pain, such as amitriptyline, pregabalin, and gabapentin are preferred at lower doses in Indian clinical settings. Acceptable efficacy and low tolerance to the standard dosage is believed to be the reason behind the prescribed dose.
Amitriptyline* ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; India* ; Neuralgia* ; Pregabalin* ; Prescriptions ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: Pregabalin is used to treat neuropathic pain and has shown analgesic properties in postoperative pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of pregabalin in reducing postoperative pain in patients after septoplasty. METHODS: Forty-seven patients scheduled for elective septoplasty were randomly assigned to groups that received either pregabalin (150 mg) or placebo, both one hour before surgery and 12 hours after the initial dose. Pain (verbal numerical rating scale, VNRS) and side effect assessments were performed at 6, 12, 12 to 24, and 24 to 48 hours postoperatively. RESULTS: From 1 to 12 hours postoperatively, VNRS scores for pain were lower in the pregabalin group (n=24) than in the placebo group (n=23; P<0.05). The number of patients who needed rescue analgesics was lower in the pregabalin group (P=0.042). The incidence of nausea and vomiting did not differ between groups (P=0.666), and the incidence of sedation was higher in the placebo groups (P=0.022). CONCLUSION: The perioperative administration of oral pregabalin (150 mg twice) is an effective and safe way to reduce early postoperative pain in patients undergoing septoplasty.
Analgesia* ; Analgesics ; Humans ; Incidence ; Nausea ; Neuralgia ; Pain, Postoperative ; Vomiting ; Pregabalin

Although the incidence of extrapyramidal reactions associated with metoclopramide has been reported to be approximately 0.2%, such reactions are rare in the anesthetic field. Several anesthetic adjuvants, including ondansetron and pregabalin, have also been associated with extrapyramidal side effect. Here, the authors report the case of a 47-year-old patient, previously administered pregabalin and ondansetron, who developed extrapyramidal side effects after a single injection of metoclopramide (10 mg) in a post-anesthesia care unit.
Adjuvants, Anesthesia ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Humans ; Incidence ; Metoclopramide ; Middle Aged ; Ondansetron ; Pregabalin

Notalgia paresthetica (NP) is a chronic localized itch, affecting mainly the inter-scapular area particularly between the T2-T6 dermatomes. Occasionally it has a more widespread distribution and involves the shoulders, back, and upper chest. There are no specific cutaneous signs, apart from those attributed to scratching and rubbing. Various etiologies have been reported, but the cause of NP is not established. The current hypothesis regarding its etiology postulates that a neuropathic itch develops due to nerve entrapment of the posterior rami of spinal nerve arising at T2-T6. Another recent documented case showed an increase in the number of intradermal nerves by neural immunochistochemistry staining of S-100 protein, protein gene product 9.5 (PGP 9.5). Herein, we experienced an uncommon case of NP of the back and tried to clarify pathogenesis by using quantitative sensory testing, such as neurometer and Von-Frey filaments. Also, we performed neural immunochemistry to confirm an increase in nerve fibers at the site of the lesion.
Immunochemistry ; Nerve Compression Syndromes ; Nerve Fibers ; Pregabalin* ; S100 Proteins ; Shoulder ; Spinal Nerves ; Thorax

PURPOSE: In this study, the medication effects of Milnacipran and Pregabalin, as well known as fibromyalgia treatment medicine, in fibromyalgia syndrome patients were compared through the change of BOLD signal in pain related functional MRI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty fibromyalgia syndrome patients were enrolled in this study and they were separated into two groups according to the treatment medicine: 10 Milnacipran (MLN) treatment group and 7 Pregabalin (PGB) treatment group. For accurate diagnosis, all patients underwent several clinical tests. Pre-treated and post-treated fMRI image with block-designed pressure-pain stimulation for each group were obtained to conduct the statistical analysis of paired t-test and two sample t-test. All statistical significant level was less than 0.05. RESULTS: In clinical tests, the clinical scores of the two groups were not significantly different at pre-treatment stage. But, PGB treatment group had lower Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) score than those of MLN treatment group at post-treatment stage. In functional image analysis, BOLD signal of PGB treatment group was higher BOLD signal at several regions including anterior cingulate and insula than MLN treatment group at post-treatment stage. Also, paired t-test values of the BOLD signal in MLN group decreased in several regions including insula and thalamus as known as 'pain network'. In contrast, size and number of regions in which the BOLD signal decreased in PGB treatment group were smaller than those of MLN treatment group. CONCLUSION: This study showed that MLN group and PGB group have different medication effects. It is not surprising that MLN and PGB have not the same therapeutic effects since these two drugs have different medicinal mechanisms such as antidepressants and anti-seizure medication, respectively, and different detailed target of fibromyalgia syndrome treatment. Therefore, it is difficult to say which medicine will work better in this study.
Antidepressive Agents ; Diagnosis ; Fatigue ; Fibromyalgia* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Prostaglandins B ; Thalamus ; Pregabalin

Pregabalin is a newly developed synthetic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that is approved for the treatment of fibromyalgia and several neuropathy. It has been proven to show analgesic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant and sleep enhancement effects, which could be applicable in the treatment of a variety of psychiatric disorders. There have been consistent reports that unexplained somatic symptoms (i.e., pain) may be a part of psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders. Previous researches have also suggested the possible therapeutic potential of anticonvulsants as augmentation therapy or monotherapy in the treatment of mood disorders and anxiety disorders. Hence this short perspective tries to prompt and facilitate a shifting of researchers' attention to potential neuropsychotropic drug role of pregabalin to treat a wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Anticonvulsants ; Anxiety Disorders ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Fibromyalgia ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Mood Disorders ; Pregabalin

BACKGROUND: Pregabalin is an analog of gamma aminobutyric acid, and selectively interacts with the alpha-2-delta subunit of the voltage dependent calcium channels. The aims of this study were to investigate the analgesic effects of intrathecal pregabalin in rat formalin tests and to compare between the pre-treatment and post-treatment group. METHODS: All experimental animals were randomly divided into pre- and post-treatment groups. In pre-treatment groups, pregabalin (0.003g, 0.01g, 0.03g, 0.1g, n = 6 at each group) was administered through the intrathecal catheter 10 min prior to formalin injection. In post-treatment groups, pregabalin (0.01g, 0.03g, 0.1g, 0.3g, n = 6 at each group) was administered through the catheter 10 min after formalin injection. Formalin (50 ml, 5%) was injected in the left hind paw. We counted the number of flinching as a pain behavior for 60 min to quantify the nociceptive response. RESULTS: The withdrawal responses which were represented by flinching count, were decreased dose dependently in the phase 2, in all groups (pre-treatment and post-treatment group), while there were less analgesic effects and ceiling effects in the phase 1. There was more significant decreasing flinching number in the pre-treatment group than that in the post-treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathecal pregabalin has preemptive analgesic effect and may be useful in the management of inflammation induced hyperalgesia.
Animals ; Calcium Channels ; Catheters ; Formaldehyde* ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Hyperalgesia ; Inflammation ; Pain Measurement* ; Rats* ; Pregabalin

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by chronic widespread pain and various accompanying symptoms including fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive dysfunction. While the etiology of fibromyalgia is unclear, accumulating data suggest that disordered central pain processing likely plays a role in the pathogenesis of symptoms. Although the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for FMS were originally developed for research purposes and were not intended for clinical diagnosis, the criteria have become the de facto diagnostic criteria in clinical settings. Recently, an improved clinical case definition for FMS was proposed by ACR in 2010 to overcome several limitations of 1990 ACR criteria. Further studies are needed to assess the acceptance, reliability, and validity of the new criteria in epidemiologic and clinical studies. Many randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses confirm the therapeutic efficacy of pregabalin, duloxetine, and milnacipran, in the treatment of FMS. In view of the currently available evidence, a combination of pregabalin, duloxetine, or milnacipran as pharmacological interventions and aerobic exercise or CBT as non-pharmacological interventions seems most promising.
Cyclopropanes ; Exercise ; Fatigue ; Fibromyalgia ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Rheumatology ; Thiophenes ; Duloxetine Hydrochloride ; Pregabalin

The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) is the most common cause of euvolemic hyponatremia, and many medications have been associated with SIADH. Pregabalin is a drug used for the treatment of neuropathic pain, though common adverse effects include central nervous system disturbance, peripheral edema, and weight gain. However, hyponatremia caused by pregabalin has been rarely reported. Here we report a patient with pregabalin-induced hyponatremia who met the criteria for SIADH; after discontinuation of the drug, his condition rapidly improved. This case can help clinicians diagnose and treat new-onset hyponatremia in patients who recently initiated pregabalin therapy.
Central Nervous System ; Edema ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Inappropriate ADH Syndrome ; Neuralgia ; Pregabalin* ; Weight Gain