The efficacy and safety of pregabalin in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with chronic lumbosacral radiculopathy

Abstract

We evaluated the efficacy of pregabalin in patients with chronic lumbosacral radiculopathy. This randomized, controlled, withdrawal trial included five phases: screening (4-18 days); run-in (4-10 days) to screen out placebo responders; single-blind (28 days) to identify pregabalin responders; double-blind to randomize responders to pregabalin or placebo (35 days); and final study medication taper (7 days). The primary endpoint was time to loss of response (LOR) during the double-blind phase (1-point increase in pain, discontinuation, or rescue-medication use). In the single-blind phase, 58% of patients had 30% pain reduction. In the double-blind phase, pregabalin (n=110) and placebo (n=107) groups did not differ significantly in time to LOR. Adverse events caused the discontinuation of 9.9% and 5.6% of pregabalin-treated and placebo-treated patients, respectively. Most patients with chronic lumbosacral radiculopathy responded to pregabalin therapy; however, time to LOR did not significantly differ between pregabalin and placebo. Considering the results of all phases of the study, it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions from it, suggesting a need for further work to understand the clinical potential of pregabalin treatment for lumbosacral radiculopathy.

Quantitative sensory testing somatosensory profiles in patients with cervical radiculopathy are distinct from those in patients with nonspecific neck–arm pain

“…Moreover, the possible dominance of one pain type is of therapeutic relevance [33,3], and may account for individual differences in responsiveness to anti-neuropathic agents, such as pregabalin, as documented in recent clinical trials of patients with lumbar and cervical radiculopathies [4,59].…”

Therapeutic Efficacy of Pregabalin in Patients With Leg Symptoms Due to Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

“…It was reported that pregabalin was effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain associated with chronic lumbosacral radiculopathy 14) . However, little is known about the therapeutic efficacy of pregabalin for each pathomechanism of the leg symptoms of LSS.…”

Antinociceptive and anti-hyperalgesic effects of bis(4-methylbenzoyl) diselenide in mice: Evidence for the mechanism of action

“…Analgesic pharmacotherapy comprises not only the classical pain-killing drugs (i.e., opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) but also agents belonging to other pharmacological groups (analgesic adjuvants) used as an add-on therapy in the treatment of intractable pain (Baron et al, 2010;Eisenberg et al, 2007;Finnerup et al, 2005). The available analgesic drug are not fully effective in a significant proportion of patients and some serious side effects frequently accompany the analgesic therapy account for a strong medical demand for the identification of new pain-relieving agents.…”