ReviewClinical pharmacokinetics2010
A comparison of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of pregabalin and gabapentin.
Review in Clinical pharmacokinetics, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 227 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Efficacy of Pregabalin and Duloxetine in Patients With Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (PDPN): the Effect of Pain on Cognitive Function, Sleep and Quality of Life (BLOSSOM)
Pregabalin vs. Gabapentin on Reducing Opioid Usage in Trauma Patients
Who cites it
227 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 657 citations in OpenAlex.
- Optimising the Therapeutic Window: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Pregabalin Dosing Strategies for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2026Pooled it
- The effect of pregabalin for pain after third molar surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC anesthesiology · 2026Pooled it
- Potential TMS biomarkers for GABAAlcohol, clinical & experimental research · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of gabapentin and pregabalin for treatment of post refractive surgery pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.International ophthalmology · 2024Pooled it
- Interventions for postburn pruritus.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Systematic review: The relationship between gabapentinoids, etizolam, and drug related deaths in Scotland.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Analgesic Efficacy of Gabapentin and Pregabalin in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgeries: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Obesity surgery · 2022Pooled it
- Pregabalin add-on for drug-resistant focal epilepsy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Pregabalin add-on for drug-resistant focal epilepsy.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Gabapentin and pregabalin to treat aggressivity in dementia: a systematic review and illustrative case report.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2019Pooled it
- Abuse and Misuse of Pregabalin and Gabapentin.Drugs · 2017Pooled it
- Gabapentin misuse, abuse and diversion: a systematic review.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2016Pooled it
- Abuse Potential of Pregabalin: A Systematic Review.CNS drugs · 2016Pooled it
- Pregabalin as a co-analgesic in patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: a double-blind, randomized, prospective clinical trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Effects of pregabalin added to a multimodal anesthetic protocol in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Trial
- A comparison of the effectiveness of lacosamide and pregabalin in treating patients diagnosed with neuropathic pain: a randomized, controlled, open-label pilot trial.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Trial
- Evaluation of the effects of pregabalin and dexamethasone coadministration on preemptive multimodal analgesia and anxiety in third molar surgeries: a triple-blind randomized clinical trial.Clinical oral investigations · 2024Trial
- Efficacy and Safety of Pregabalin for Muscle Cramps in Liver Cirrhosis: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of Korean medical science · 2022Trial
- A pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction study between pregabalin and tramadol in healthy volunteers.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2018Trial
- Dose-proportional pharmacokinetic properties of GLA5PR GLARS-NF1 controlled-release pregabalin in healthy Korean volunteers: a randomized, open, single-dose, parallel study.Drug design, development and therapy · 2018Trial
167 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Pregabalin and gabapentin share a similar mechanism of action, inhibiting calcium influx and subsequent release of excitatory neurotransmitters; however, the compounds differ in their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics. Gabapentin is absorbed slowly after oral administration, with maximum plasma concentrations attained within 3-4 hours. Orally administered gabapentin exhibits saturable absorption--a nonlinear (zero-order) process--making its pharmacokinetics less predictable. Plasma concentrations of gabapentin do not increase proportionally with increasing dose. In contrast, orally administered pregabalin is absorbed more rapidly, with maximum plasma concentrations attained within 1 hour. Absorption is linear (first order), with plasma concentrations increasing proportionately with increasing dose. The absolute bioavailability of gabapentin drops from 60% to 33% as the dosage increases from 900 to 3600 mg/day, while the absolute bioavailability of pregabalin remains at > or = 90% irrespective of the dosage. Both drugs can be given without regard to meals. Neither drug binds to plasma proteins. Neither drug is metabolized by nor inhibits hepatic enzymes that are responsible for the metabolism of other drugs. Both drugs are excreted renally, with elimination half-lives of approximately 6 hours. Pregabalin and gabapentin both show dose-response relationships in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and partial seizures. For neuropathic pain, a pregabalin dosage of 450 mg/day appears to reduce pain comparably to the predicted maximum effect of gabapentin. As an antiepileptic, pregabalin may be more effective than gabapentin, on the basis of the magnitude of the reduction in the seizure frequency. In conclusion, pregabalin appears to have some distinct pharmacokinetic advantages over gabapentin that may translate into an improved pharmacodynamic effect.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.