Benefits And Side Effects Of Treatment With Pregabalin
Treatment with pregabalin has been shown to be effective in controlling neuropathic pain and improving patients’ quality of life. In this article, we will describe the effects in detail.
Pregabalin, also marketed as Lyrica, is an antiepileptic drug used in the treatment of neuropathic pain in disorders caused by diseases such as diabetic neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgia.
Nowadays, neuropathic pain is one of the biggest challenges in medicine. This is due to its resistance to common painkillers, and the lack of knowledge about the diseases behind it.
What is pregabalin?
Pregabalin is an analog of gammaaminobutyric acid or GABA. GABA is the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the entire nervous system and its function is to slow down brain activity. Although pregabalin is an antiepileptic drug, researchers have also classified it in the field of neuromodulatory drugs. It originated from gabapentin and was specifically prescribed for those with peripheral neuropathic pain.
It is a medicine with linear pharmacokinetics, which does not only vary individually. It also binds plasma proteins, is not metabolized in the kidneys, and the body expels it through the urine. These characteristics mean that it has fewer interactions with other drugs.
The analgesic properties of pregabalin begin to work in the first few days of treatment and are maintained for a long time.
Treatment with pregabalin
Pregabalin is used in treatment for:
- Neuropathic pain. Doctors recommend pregabalin for the treatment of peripheral and central neuropathic pain in adults.
- Epilepsy. Doctors prescribe pregabalin in the combined treatment of focal seizures, with or without secondary generalization in adults.
- Generalized anxiety disorder. Pregabalin is also used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults.
Treatment with pregabalin has been shown to be effective in placebo-controlled studies in a dose-dependent manner. This is because it controls pain, improves sleep and improves the quality of life of patients with neuropathic pain in many ways. It is especially useful in the treatment of diabetic neuropathy or postherpetic neuralgia.
- Diabetic neuropathy. This is a disorder of the nervous system caused by diabetes.
- Postherpetic neuropathy. This is a persistent neuropathic pain, localized in the dermatome, where an acute form of shingles has previously occurred. We know that it lasts for more than three months or that the rash on the skin has disappeared.
How does it work?
Pregabalin is a ligand of an auxiliary subunit of the voltage-gated calcium channels in the central nervous system. But scientists do not quite know how it works and interacts.
Its analgesic effect is due to its ability to bind to this protein subunit better than gabapentin – another analgesic used for chronic neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia in adults. Therefore, the pharmacological profiles are very similar.
By joining this subunit, it modulates how the calcium ions enter the voltage-gated channels, thus increasing the release of excitatory neurotransmitters such as glutamate, norepinephrine and substance p.
This reduces neurological excitability in different areas of the nervous system. This is especially true in cases related to diseases such as neuropathic pain, epilepsy or anxiety. Although an analog of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), it does not interact with GABA-A or B receptors, nor does it affect their reuptake. Therefore, it can not develop gamma amino butyric acid actions.
Side effects of treatment with pregabalin
The most common side effects with pregabalin are:
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Headache
- Nasopharyngitis
- Increased appetite
- Weight gain
- Euphoric mood
- Confusion
- Irritability
- Disorientation
- Insomnia
- Increased libido
- Erectile dysfunction
- Blurred vision
- Double vision
- Vertigo
- Stomach and intestinal diseases
- Muscle cramps
- Back pain or pain in the limbs
Despite the list of possible side effects , we must point out that most of them are volatile and well tolerated by patients. The degree of interruption from treatment is minimal. In some patients, withdrawal symptoms have been observed after discontinuation of pregabalin. Therefore, doctors recommend that patients reduce the dose little by little to avoid possible complications.
