ReviewCNS drugs2014
Misuse and abuse of pregabalin and gabapentin: cause for concern?
Review in CNS drugs, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers, 2 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 242 citations in OpenAlex.
- Abuse and Misuse of Pregabalin and Gabapentin.Drugs · 2017Pooled it
- Abuse Potential of Pregabalin: A Systematic Review.CNS drugs · 2016Pooled it
- Comparing Gabapentin with Clonazepam for Residual Sleeping Problems following Antidepressant Therapy in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Clinical drug investigation · 2015Trial
- Daily Doses of Gabapentinoids for Pain Management Among Opioid Users Aged Below and Above 65 years.Clinical medicine & research · 2026Article
- [Benefits and risks of gabapentinoids in geriatric psychiatry].Der Nervenarzt · 2026Review
- Trends in pregabalin misuse and abuse: A 25-year bibliometric perspective.Journal of medical biochemistry · 2026Article
- A highly aqueous HPLC-PDA method for the assay of gabapentin and pregabalin: applications in pharmaceutical analysis, dissolution testing, and forensic screening.Frontiers in chemistry · 2026Article
- A Comprehensive Review on Anxiolytic Effect ofFood science & nutrition · 2025Review
- Pharmacotherapy of psychiatric inpatients with mental and behavioral disorders caused by sedatives or hypnotics (F13): Results from an observational pharmacovigilance program between 2000 and 2017.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2025Observational
- Drugs Used in "Chemsex"/Sexualized Drug Behaviour-Overview of the Related Clinical Psychopharmacological Issues.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Monitoring Addiction to Pregabalin in Northern Algeria by Using Hair Testing.Electrophoresis · 2025Article
- A case report of pregabalin misuse leading to drug dependence.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Gabapentin-Induced Sub-Chronic Neurotoxicity in Rats and the Protective Role of Alpha-Tocopherol.Turk patoloji dergisi · 2025Article
- Gabapentin and pregabalin exposures reported to United States poison centers, 2012-2022.Injury epidemiology · 2024Article
- Patterns of Pregabalin Users from Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities: Results from the French OPPIDUM Program from 2008 to 2022.CNS drugs · 2024Article
- Article
- Misuse of gabapentinoids (pregabalin and gabapentin) in patients with neuropathic pain related to spinal cord injury.The journal of spinal cord medicine · 2023Article
- Very high dose of pregabalin abuse: A case report.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2023Article
- Pregabalin Use/Misuse: A Source of Consternation in Western Punjab.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2023Article
- Scalable Synthesis of TRPV1 Antagonist Bipyridinyl Benzimidazole Derivative via the Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction and Selective SeOMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
22 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
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Gabapentinoids (e.g. pregabalin and gabapentin) are widely used in neurology, psychiatry and primary healthcare but are increasingly being reported as possessing a potential for misuse. In fact, increasing levels of both prescriptions and related fatalities, together with an anecdotally growing black market, have been reported from a range of countries. This article reviews the current evidence base of this potential, in an attempt to answer the question of whether there is cause for concern about these drugs. Potent binding of pregabalin/gabapentin at the calcium channel results in a reduction in the release of excitatory molecules. Furthermore, gabapentinoids are thought to possess GABA-mimetic properties whilst possibly presenting with direct/indirect effects on the dopaminergic 'reward' system. Overall, pregabalin is characterized by higher potency, quicker absorption rates and greater bioavailability levels than gabapentin. Although at therapeutic dosages gabapentinoids may present with low addictive liability levels, misusers' perceptions for these molecules to constitute a valid substitute for most common illicit drugs may be a reason of concern. Gabapentinoid experimenters are profiled here as individuals with a history of recreational polydrug misuse, who self-administer with dosages clearly in excess (e.g. up to 3-20 times) of those that are clinically advisable. Physicians considering prescribing gabapentinoids for neurological/psychiatric disorders should carefully evaluate a possible previous history of drug abuse, whilst being able to promptly identify signs of pregabalin/gabapentin misuse and provide possible assistance in tapering off the medication.
Indexed as
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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.