Gabapentin V Pregabalin
Table of Contents
Gabapentin V Pregabalin
A better drug with lower cost, it is also used in lower doses, yes, it is Gabapentin V Pregabalin but of course, Pregabalin has always won the competition.
Thumbnail | Name | Categories | Date | Price | Buy |
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Lyrica pregabalin 150mg generic | Pain relief | 2020-07-01 06:22 | £23.00 – £118.00 | Add to cart This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page £23.00 £78.00 £118.00 |
What is Gabapentin?
Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant drug that affects chemicals and nerves causing seizures and some types of pain.
It is used in combination with other drugs to treat partial seizures in adults and children older than 3 years old.
Gabapentin is also used for treating neuropathic pain (pain due to damaged or diseased nerve) caused by the herpes virus or herpes zoster (shingles) in adults.
Gabapentin V Pregabalin, so What is Pregabalin?
Pregabalin is also an anticonvulsant drug; it slows down the impulses causing seizures in the brain.
It also affects the chemicals that send signals of pain through the nervous system, so it is used to treat pain caused by fibromyalgia (condition distinguished by pain throw out the body, or neuropathic pain of diabetic patients, neuralgia caused by herpes zoster (severe pain due to damaged nerve), or that pain coming after spinal cord injury.
Pregabalin is used as adjunctive therapy in treating partial-onset seizures in adults and children older than 1 month old.
It also has off-label uses, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, insomnia, and chronic pain disorders like sciatica and others.
So both of them are used for peripheral neuropathic pain and post-herpetic neuralgia, but what are the differences of Gabapentin V Pregabalin?
Let’s take the point after the other.
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Cost:
According to a hypothetical cohort of 1000 patients, Pregabalin was found to be much more cost-effective than gabapentin.
According to a retrospective cohort of palliative care outpatients at the University of Arkansas for medical sciences (UAMS) palliative care clinic (PCC), no significant difference was found in terms of effectiveness.
But there was a significant difference in the number of pills taken and the discontinuation of the drug as a result of side effects.
Gabapentin V Pregabalin showed an advantage over Pregabalin as the average number of pills needed for Pregabalin was 0.01, while gabapentin was 1.8.
Pregabalin also showed superiority in the number decreasing the dose due to adverse effects caused, as those treated with gabapentin were decreasing the dose more than Pregabalin.
Pregabalin was much more tolerated than gabapentin.
Gabapentin is more likely to cause speaking difficulties, fever, and increased susceptibility to viral infections, unusual eye movements, and jerky movements (fast uncontrollable movements with no purpose.
Pregabalin is more likely to cause dry mouth, constipation, edema (swelling), breast enlargement, and weight gain.
- Absorption:
Gabapentin V Pregabalin, Pregabalin also shows superiority in absorption, it is absorbed faster and works more quickly than gabapentin.
Pregabalin reaches the maximum concentration in the blood within an hour, whereas gabapentin takes about 3-4 hours.
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Interactions:
Although Gabapentin V Pregabalin has similar interactions as they belong to the same class of medicine, gabapentin also interacts with NSAIDs (Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and diclofenac.
As Gabapentin V Pregabalin belongs to the same class of medicine, they have similarities between them.
- They work with the mechanism, which makes them having almost similar effectiveness.
- Both of them may cause abuse, that’s why they were declared from 1 April 2019 as a schedule 3 controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, and Class C of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
- Similar side effects like dizziness, drowsiness, incoordination, memory problems, tremors, and blurred vision were caused by both drugs.
- Gabapentin V Pregabalin has shown withdrawal side effects on sudden stopping, both of them must be decreased gradually.
Abstract:
Gabapentin V Pregabalin has shown almost similar effectiveness, but Pregabalin outweighed gabapentin in a number of taken pills, cost-effectiveness, faster onset of action, tolerance, and fewer interactions.
- So if your doctor prescribed Pregabalin for your medical condition, make sure to inform your doctor about the following conditions before consuming the drug:
- Lung problems
- Mood changes like depression, or suicidal thoughts
- Heart problems
- Bleeding disorder
- Kidney problems
- diabetes, unless you are taking it for the neuropathic pain caused by diabetes
- Severe allergic reactions to Pregabalin or any other
- Pregabalin should not be used in patients younger than 18 years old for the treatment of pain caused by several reasons including fibromyalgia, diabetes, herpes zoster, or spinal cord injury
- It is not also approved for use by patients younger than 1-month-old for the treatment of seizures
- If you become pregnant, don’t start nor stop taking Pregabalin without the advice of your doctor, as seizure control during pregnancy is highly important
- Pregabalin may affect the fertility of men, as it can decrease the number of sperms
It also showed birth defects in the offsprings of males using Pregabalin as the animal studies showed
Always confirm with your health care provider the information you read on any medical article to make sure this information is convenient for your medical condition.