Gabapentinoids: Use and Misuse

Abstract

Pregabalin and Gabapentin were introduced as anti-seizure drugs. However, these drugs are currently used more commonly for other indications, including neuropathic pain, radiculopathy, fibromyalgia, diabetic neuropathy, nerve compression syndromes, etc. Evidence of the efficacy of these drugs for these indications is conflicting and often lacking (1–4). The FDA-approved indications of pregabalin are neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, and partial onset seizures in patients four years of age and older, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain associated with spinal cord injury.