Pregabalin in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy

ISSN： 1479-6708

Source： Future Neurology, Vol.3, Iss.6, 2008-11, pp. : 631-639

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Abstract

Neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common debilitating complication of diabetes mellitus with unmet therapeutic needs. Pregabalin is a recently introduced αα₂-&dgr;δ subunit ligand at the voltage- sensitive calcium channel that has shown good efficacy with a tolerable side-effect profile in the treatment of PDN. According to the Australian datasheet, 1438 patients have been studied receiving either placebo (460) or pregabalin (978). The dose ranged from 75 to 600 mg daily. The number needed to treat averaged from the published data is 3.8 patients for the two higher doses. Pregabalin has a linearly increased plasma concentration with dose escalation and achieves analgesia as early as 1 day after initiating therapy. As its mechanism of action is different from other anticonvulsants and antidepressants, and interactions with other drugs are unlikely from the pharmacokinetic profile, combining pregabalin with other agents that are effective in DPN is a clinically safe option and should result in improved pain control.