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Pregabalin for Alcohol Dependence: A Critical Review of the Literature

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Abstract

Introduction

Alcohol dependence represents a severe pathological disorder associated with a significant rate of morbidity and mortality. To date, limited pharmacological agents exist to treat this disorder, and there is a growing interest for new therapies. In this context, pregabalin represents a promising strategy. Pregabalin, like gabapentin, selectively binds to the α2δsubunit of voltage-gated calcium channels, inhibiting release of excessive levels of excitatory neurotransmitters. The main focus of this review is the clinical use of pregabalin in alcoholic patients, but the authors also reported some data about chemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics of this drug.

Methods

The authors conducted a PubMed search of clinical human studies published in English from January 2000 to August 2012 using the following search terms: pregabalin alcohol dependence, pregabalin alcohol withdrawal, pregabalin alcoholism.

Results

The search revealed a total of five studies: two trials for the treatment of alcohol relapse and three articles for the management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome with pregabalin. The critical review of the literature suggests that pregabalin could be a novel and effective treatment option for the management of alcohol relapse in detoxified patients, whereas until now there have been mixed results for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. In particular, pregabalin showed a greater beneficial effect on patients with comorbid conditions such as alcoholism and generalized anxiety disorders. The exact mechanism of action of pregabalin in the management of alcoholism is not well understood but it is thought to be due mainly to the modulation of neurotransmitters such as glutamate and norepinephrine by inhibiting activity-dependent calcium influx in nerve terminals.

Conclusion

Pregabalin, within a dosage of 150–450 mg/day, showed beneficial effects for alcohol relapse prevention and contrasting results for the treatment of the withdrawal syndrome. Its use appears to be safe and well tolerated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Catholic University Medical School, 00168, Rome, Italy

    Riccardo Guglielmo & Luigi Janiri

  2. Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, University, “G. D’Annunzio,”, Chieti, Italy

    Giovanni Martinotti

  3. Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Technologies, University of Milan Bicocca, Milan, Italy

    Massimo Clerici

  4. Via Padre Pio, 16, 81042, Calvi Risorta, Italy

    Riccardo Guglielmo

Authors
  1. Riccardo Guglielmo
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  2. Giovanni Martinotti
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  3. Massimo Clerici
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  4. Luigi Janiri
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Correspondence to Riccardo Guglielmo.

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Guglielmo, R., Martinotti, G., Clerici, M. et al. Pregabalin for Alcohol Dependence: A Critical Review of the Literature. Adv Therapy 29, 947–957 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-012-0061-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-012-0061-5

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