Pregabalin for peripheral neuropathic pain

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Issues Emerg Health Technol. 2005 Mar;(67):1-4.

Pregabalin for peripheral neuropathic pain.

Hadj Tahar A.

Pregabalin is an anticonvulsant drug that is under review for use in

Canada. It was recently approved in the US and Europe for the treatment

of adults with peripheral neuropathic pain (NeP). In most short-term

randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of pregabalin in patients with

diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and or post-herpetic neuralgia

(PHN), there were early and significant decreases in mean pain scores.

The number of subjects with > 50% reduction in pain score was increased

when pregabalin was compared to placebo. The most common adverse

effects were dizziness and sleepiness. Withdrawal due to adverse events

was also more frequent with pregabalin than with placebo. While

pregabalin appears to be an effective treatment for NeP, there is no

evidence that it offers advantages over treatments being used in Canada.