Pregabalin at doses of 300 mg/day and higher – benefit and risk balance
Anna Z. Antosik-Wójcińska, Łukasz Święcicki

The paper gives a broad review of studies on the use of pregabalin, mainly its potential in the therapy of anxiety disorders, with particular emphasis on generalized anxiety, while also briefly discussing its other possible applications. Pregabalin is a ligand for voltage-gated alpha-2-delta calcium channel subunits localised at presynaptic terminal regions in brain and spinal cord neurons. Multiple studies have demonstrated its higher efficiency over placebo in treating generalized anxiety disorder, including anxiety with aggravated depression symptoms. Different pregabalin doses, ranging from 150 to 600 mg/day, have been assessed, showing lower doses (starting from 150 mg/day) to be effective in treating the psychological symptoms of anxiety. Effective treatment of somatic symptoms, on the other hand, requires more aggressive dosing (doses of 300 mg/day and more). Pregabalin tends to be well tolerated, with the most commonly cited adverse effects including dizziness, drowsiness and confusion. There have also been reports of withdrawal symptoms following abrupt or rapid dose reduction. According to some authors, pregabalin can cause physical dependency, yet the risk for potential abuse seems to be present mainly in the group of patients with a history of psychoactive substance abuse.