ArticleClinical drug investigation2013
Real-world treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia with gabapentin or pregabalin.
Article in Clinical drug investigation, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Identifying predictors of neuropathic pain medication prescribing, adherence, and discontinuation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.British journal of anaesthesia · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of intramuscular diazepam infusion on herpes zoster-related pain in older patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.BMC anesthesiology · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Relationships Among Adverse Events, Disease Characteristics, and Demographics in Treatment of Postherpetic Neuralgia With Gastroretentive Gabapentin.The Clinical journal of pain · 2015Trial
- Epidural steroid injections compared with gabapentin for lumbosacral radicular pain: multicenter randomized double blind comparative efficacy study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2015Trial
- Safety and efficacy of once-daily gastroretentive gabapentin in patients with postherpetic neuralgia aged 75 years and over.Drugs & aging · 2013Trial
- Prescription Trends and Clinical Decision-Making in Neuropathic Pain Pharmacological Treatment: Results From a Cross-Sectional Survey by the Spanish Pain Society.European journal of pain (London, England) · 2026Article
- Multimodal Therapies for the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain: The Role of Lidocaine Patches in Combination Therapy: A Narrative Review.Pain and therapy · 2025Review
- Genetics of causal relationships between circulating inflammatory proteins and postherpetic neuralgia: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
- Burden of opioid use for pain management among adult herpes zoster patients in the US and the potential impact of vaccination.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2022Article
- Treatment Analysis of Patients Followed up With Postherpetic Neuralgia in Nothern Cyprus.Materia socio-medica · 2022Article
- Article
- Persistence of pregabalin treatment in Taiwan: a nation-wide population-based study.The journal of headache and pain · 2020Article
- Treatment Patterns and Medication Use in Patients with Postherpetic Neuralgia.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2019Article
- Pregabalin Prescription for Neuropathic Pain and Fibromyalgia: A Descriptive Study Using Administrative Database in Japan.Pain research & management · 2018Article
- Effect of gastroretentive gabapentin (Gralise) on postmastectomy pain syndrome: a proof-of-principle open-label study.Pain reports · 2017Article
- Postherpetic neuralgia: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and pain management pharmacology.Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · 2016Review
- Topical and intranasal analgesic therapy in a woman with refractory postherpetic neuralgia.Case reports in medicine · 2015Article
- Antiepileptics for post-herpetic neuralgia in the elderly: current and future prospects.Drugs & aging · 2014Review
- Practical considerations in the pharmacological treatment of postherpetic neuralgia for the primary care provider.Journal of pain research · 2014Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesThere are limited data examining the real-world use of gabapentin and pregabalin for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). This study examines dosing patterns, therapy outcomes, healthcare utilization and costs of patients with PHN who initiate treatment with gabapentin or pregabalin.
methodsThis was a retrospective administrative claims data analysis from July 2005 to February 2010. Patients with PHN initiating gabapentin or pregabalin (index therapy) from January 2006 to February 2009 were identified and were observed for 12 months after index therapy initiation. Outcomes were mean daily dosages of the index therapy, attainment of minimally effective dosages of gabapentin (≥ 1,800 mg/day) or pregabalin (≥ 150 and ≥ 300 mg/day) persistence, discontinuation, index therapy switching, addition of neuropathic pain medications to index therapy, and healthcare resource use and costs.
results1,645 patients were identified. The mean daily dosage was 826 mg for gabapentin and 187 mg for pregabalin. Only 52.6 % of patients initiating gabapentin and 56.9 % initiating pregabalin obtained a refill during the post-index period. Approximately 14 % of patients treated with gabapentin reached the target dosage (1,800 mg/day). For pregabalin, 87 % reached ≥ 150 mg/day and 27 % reached ≥ 300 mg/day. On average, patients took 10 weeks to reach 1,800 mg/day gabapentin, and 5.0 and 9.2 weeks to reach ≥ 150 mg/day and ≥ 300 mg/day pregabalin, respectively. Approximately one-third of patients in both index therapy cohorts added a pain medication; more than half added opioids. The percentage of patients switching from either drug (57 %) or adding a therapy (34 %) were similar between index therapy cohorts; opioids were the most common therapy patients switched to or added.
conclusionIt appears that gabapentin and pregabalin are not used effectively to treat PHN. Suboptimal dosing and discontinuation may be associated with supplementary use of other analgesics, especially opioids.
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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.