Tolerability and use in co-administration of pregabalin in affective patients: a 6-month prospective naturalistic study

Abstract

Objective: The aims of the present study were to investigate the main demographic and clinical characteristics, comorbidity patterns, use in association and tolerability of pregabalin in a sample of patients with affective disorders, and to compare demographic and clinical variables of the groups divided, according to the treatment pregabalin was associated with.

Methods: One hundred and fourteen consecutive outpatients, with anxiety and/or depressive disorders with or without comorbidity, were started on pregabalin, assessed and interviewed and their demographic data, associated therapy, tolerability and side effects collected over an observational period of 6 months.

Results: The most frequent primary diagnoses were mood disorders (49.1%) and generalized anxiety disorder (21.9%). The most commonly associated treatments were antidepressants (66.7%) and mood stabilizers (15.8%). The most frequent side effects were sedation (3.4%), dizziness (0.9%), nausea (0.9%), diarrhea (0.9%), cough (0.9%) and peripheral edema (0.9%). When patients were divided according to the co-treatments, subgroups differed in terms of prescription of benzodiazepines (χ² = 15.25, df = 6, p = 0.013, phi = 0.37), with the most frequent use of these molecules in patients co-treated with tricyclic antidepressants and minor use in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors group.

Conclusions: Differences in the co-administration of benzodiazepines might suggest a stronger anxiolytic effect when pregabalin is combined with specific psychotropic drugs (e.g., SSRIs).

Keywords::

• affective disorders
• benzodiazepines
• polytherapy
• pregabalin
• tolerability

Notes