ArticleEuropean journal of clinical pharmacology2013
Pregabalin abuse among opiate addicted patients.
Article in European journal of clinical pharmacology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
40 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 131 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review: The relationship between gabapentinoids, etizolam, and drug related deaths in Scotland.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- The safety and efficacy of gabapentinoids in the management of neuropathic pain: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2023Pooled it
- Global patterns of opioid use and dependence: harms to populations, interventions, and future action.Lancet (London, England) · 2019Pooled it
- Abuse and Misuse of Pregabalin and Gabapentin.Drugs · 2017Pooled it
- Abuse Potential of Pregabalin: A Systematic Review.CNS drugs · 2016Pooled it
- Prevalence and Predictors of Substance Use Disorder Due to Gabapentinoids in Patients With Chronic Non-Cancer Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Patterns of pregabalin misuse: Need for intervention.The Indian journal of medical research · 2026Article
- Trends in pregabalin misuse and abuse: A 25-year bibliometric perspective.Journal of medical biochemistry · 2026Article
- The first report from Ankara on the presence of xylazine abuse in blood and urine samples using a validated LC-HRMS method.International journal of legal medicine · 2025Article
- Patterns, Risks, and Clinical Challenges of Pregabalin Misuse in Patients With Opioid Use Disorder: A Case Series.Cureus · 2025Article
- Monitoring Addiction to Pregabalin in Northern Algeria by Using Hair Testing.Electrophoresis · 2025Article
- Article
- Incident gabapentin prescribing associated with opioid and benzodiazepine/Z-drug prescribing - a population-based longitudinal study in primary care.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Gabapentinoid detection in coronial casework in Gold Coast, Australia: a 5-year retrospective study.Forensic science, medicine, and pathology · 2024Article
- Cohort study of new off-label gabapentin prescribing in chronic opioid users.Regional anesthesia and pain medicine · 2024Article
- Pregabalin use in forensic hospitals and prisons in German speaking countries-a survey study of physicians.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Article
- Toxicological Relevance of Pregabalin in Heroin Users: A Two-Year Postmortem Population Study.Journal of analytical toxicology · 2022Article
- Gabapentinoid Abuse in France: Evidence on Health Consequences and New Points of Vigilance.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Article
- Current Evidence on Abuse and Misuse of Gabapentinoids.Drug safety · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposePregabalin is a novel GABA-analogue approved for the treatment of partial onset seizures, neuropathic pain, and general anxiety disorder. Pregabalin has been classified as a Schedule V drug with a low risk of inflicting abuse or addiction. However, some publications have indicated that pregabalin may have a potential for abuse among patients with past or current opiate addiction. Thus, we hypothesized that pregabalin might be abused by patients who were undergoing an opiate replacement therapy and never had an indication for taking pregabalin on medical grounds.
methodsUrine specimens from 124 patients with opiate dependency syndrome and from 111 patients with other addiction disorders (alcohol, benzodiazepines, cannabis, amphetamines) were screened for pregabalin by means of a mass spectrometer analysis.
resultsWe found 12.1 % of all urine specimens from patients with opiate addiction to be positive for pregabalin. None of the patients concerned had a medical indication for using pregabalin. In the control group, 2.7 % of the patients were tested positively for pregabalin, due to their taking it regularly for chronic pain or general anxiety.
conclusionsOur data suggest that pregabalin is liable to be abused among individuals with opiate dependency syndrome Thus, vigilance and caution are called for when patients with a past or current opiate dependency are exposed to treatment with pregabalin.
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