ArticleBMJ open2022
Patterns of pregabalin prescribing in four German federal states: analysis of routine data to investigate potential misuse of pregabalin.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- How the Reclassification of Gabapentinoids Reshaped Neuropathic Pain Treatment in Saudi Arabia: A Survey of Healthcare Professionals.Pain and therapy · 2026Article
- [Current opioid consumption among younger patients : A comparison between the years 2019 and 2023 in a large addiction clinic in Hamburg].Der Nervenarzt · 2026Article
- Epidemiology, treatment patterns and effectiveness of adherence to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy in intermediate and high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients: a retrospective cohort analysis using German health claims data.World journal of urology · 2025Article
- Monitoring pregabalin use through online interest: A trend analysis using google search and consumption data.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2025Article
- A Scoping Review of Multilevel Patient-Sharing Network Measures in Health Services Research.Medical care research and review : MCRR · 2025Article
- Analysis of User-Generated Posts on Social Media of Adjuvant Analgesics: A Machine Learning Study.International journal of medical sciences · 2025Article
- A Hidden Pandemic? Abuse of Gabapentinoids: A Brief Review of Recent Studies.Current drug research reviews · 2025Review
- Epidemiology of Diagnosed Age-related Macular Degeneration in Germany: An Evaluation of the Prevalence Using AOK PLUS Claims Data.Ophthalmology and therapy · 2024Article
- Trends in Pregabalin Use and Prescribing Patterns in the Adult Population: A 10-Year Pharmacoepidemiologic Study.CNS drugs · 2024Article
- Liver disease epidemiology and burden in patients with alterations in plasma protein metabolism: German retrospective insurance claims analysis.World journal of hepatology · 2023Article
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
objectivesThe objectives of this study were to investigate the utilisation patterns of pregabalin, to identify users potentially misusing pregabalin and to compare this group of patients to patients prescribed recommended doses of pregabalin concerning their personal characteristics and the coordination among their prescribers. Unintended coprescription of drugs with addictive potential might occur when care is insufficiently coordinated.
designSecondary data analysis of linked data from three regional sickness funds in Germany (AOK) for the years 2014-2016.
settingAmbulatory and hospital care sector in four German federal states.
methodsOn the basis of routine data, patients who received at least three prescriptions of pregabalin were identified and classified into patients prescribed pregabalin as recommended and those dispensed with a higher than recommended dose (>600 mg/day). Social network analysis was applied to identify prescription networks and to analyse cooperation among the prescribers. With descriptive statistics and univariate statistical tests, typical characteristics of the group of patients potentially misusing pregabalin were compared with the others.
resultsAmong the 53 049 patients prescribed pregabalin, about 2% (877) were classified as potentially misusing pregabalin. The majority of this group was male and aged between 30 and 60 years. Of the patients misusing pregabalin, 365 (42%) had a diagnosed history of substance use disorders and 359 (41%) had been prescribed another drug with addictive potential (opioids) before. The prescribers of those patients potentially misusing pregabalin were more loosely connected within networks compared with prescribers of patients prescribed pregabalin as recommended.
conclusionThis study found that patients could exceed recommended doses of pregabalin by getting prescriptions from multiple physicians. Specific patients were at increased risk of potentially misusing pregabalin, and these patients sought to obtain their prescriptions from physicians who were as loosely connected as possible. Coordination and sharing a relevant number of patients seem to be levers to avoid these problems of unintended coprescribing.
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.