Pregabalin misuse in methadone maintenance treatment patients in Israel: Prevalence and risk factors

Pregabalin is a GABA analog that binds to the alpha 2-delta subunit of voltage-dependent calcium channels. It belongs to the gabapentinoid family together with gabapentin. Pregabalin is recognized as efficacious in pathologies, such as epilepsy, neuropathic pain, and anxiety disorders (Ianni et al., 2017), and it is commonly used as an adjunct for the treatment of chronic pain (Bockbrader et al., 2010). The usage of gabapentinoids has increased internationally, from 0.5% in 2007 to 5.5% in 2015 in Ireland (Daly et al., 2018), from 1.2% in 2002 to 3.9% in 2015 in the USA (Johansen, 2018), and by 350% over 5 years in the UK (Spence, 2013).
Source: Drug and Alcohol Dependence - Category: Addiction Authors: Tags: Full length article Source Type: research