1.Pregabalin, a neuropathic drug used as an antitussive in a pediatric child with acute cough: A case report.
Rosalee E. GONZALES ; Francis O. JAVIER ; Josh Nathan L. NGAI
Journal of the Philippine Medical Association 2025;103(2):90-94
Cough is a very common symptom causing medical consult. Several remedies are readily available in the market however these are currently not recommended among the pediatric population due to a few reasons which include the benign nature of acute cough, limited effectivity and lack of support from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) due to abuse potential.
We report a case of a 2-year-old male, no known co-morbidities with a 2 week history of upper respiratory tract infection. Initial assessment showed viral infection hence patient was given medications for symptomatic treatment. However, l week after, patient still presented with symptomatic persistent coughing that disrupted his activities of daily living, hence antitussive medication was already prescribed. After another 7 days, there was still persistence of symptoms, hence patient was given a trial medication of Pregabalin 0.7 milligram/kg/dose which noted instant cough relief one hour after the initial intake. Patient also reported to be more playful, improved sleep at night and improved appetite. Patient received total of 2 doses of Pregabalin in the span of 48 hours. On the third day, patient was still coughing but reported to be significantly less frequent and more productive, hence medication was then put on hold. Patient continuously improved after 5 more days and was eventually cough free.
This case report demonstrates the adequacy of Pregabalin as a supportive antitussive medication in a patient with an acute cough secondary to a viral infection.
Human ; Male ; Child Preschool: 2-5 Yrs Old ; Cough ; Pregabalin ; Respiratory System ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Virus Diseases ; Antitussive Agents