Pregabalin in the treatment of anxiety disorders
Łukasz Święcicki

Anxiety disorders belong to the most common mental disorders. The treatment methods that have been used so far are not effective enough and therefore further attempts are undertaken. Pregabalin is thought to be a promising drug. Clinical studies indicate that it is at least as effective in the treatment of generalised anxiety as antidepressants with serotoninergic effects. Moreover, its efficacy has also been tested in the treatment of social anxiety disorder (a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial). The results are indicative of pregabalin efficacy. Furthermore, a series of case reports concerning the application of pregabalin in the treatment of drug-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder has also been published. Similarly, the drug occurred to be effective. In studies on anxiety disorders, the efficacy of pregabalin was comparable to benzodiazepine, although such a comparison is not justified completely since benzodiazepine cannot be used in long-term therapies whereas the efficacy of pregabalin increases with time. Pregabalin is a safe and well-tolerated drug. According to the indications of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry, it is a first-line drug in generalised anxiety disorder. Certain concerns are raised by a possible addictive effect of pregabalin, which has lately been addressed more and more frequently. This article presents data concerning the efficacy, safety and tolerability of this drug in the treatment of anxiety disorders.