Abuse and addiction in gabapentinoid drug users for neuropathic pain

Gabapentinoids are gamma-aminobutyric acid analogue agents used in the treatment of neuropathic pain. They are increasingly being abused to achieve euphoric and dissociative effects. This study aimed to determine drug misuse/abuse and related factors in patients who used gabapentinoids for neuropathic pain.

This study included 140 patients over the age of 18. Patients were excluded from the study if they had aphasia, dementia, or diseases that led to aphasia or cooperative and cognitive dysfunction. They were also excluded if they lacked sufficient information about how long or at what dosage they had been using the drug. The Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were used to evaluate depression and anxiety states. The patients' levels of drug abuse were determined according to the definitions provided in the terminology for misuse, abuse, and related events.

The mean age of the patients was 56.78 ± 14.45 years, and 52.1% of them were females. While 57.9% of the patients used pregabalin, 42.1% of the patients used gabapentin. For the median (min-max) of the dataset, the pregabalin dose was 300 (50-600) mg/day, and the gabapentin dose was 900 (300-2,400) mg/day. Abuse was present in 17.9% of the patients. Risk factors for gabapentinoid abuse were smoking, alcohol, and antidepressant use, anxiety and depression, living alone, and drug dose and duration of use.

Before prescribing drugs and managing the treatment process in a controlled manner, questioning patients about their risk factors can reduce the rate of abuse.