A Prospective Study On The Impact Of Pregabalin Use On The Cognition Of Patients With Neuropathic Pain

Abstract

Introduction:

Pregabalin is a newly approved anti-epileptic drug used as an add-on therapy for partial onset seizures and neuropathic pain. Usage of Pregabalin can be associated with various neurotoxic side effects including cognitive impairment.

Aim:

To study the impact of pregabalin use on the cognitive function of patients with neuropathic pain.

Materials and Methods:

The study was conducted on 120 subjects, who were administered pregabalin, over a period of 1 year using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA).

Results:

The study was conducted to assess the cognition of patients on Pregabalin for neuropathic pain. Out of the 120 patients involved, the types of neuropathic pain found were as follows: 74 patients (61.66%) had diabetic neuropathy, 16 people (13.33%) had Central Post-Stroke pain, and 12 patient (10%) had Disc prolapsed. The mean overall cognitive score was found to be 21.24 ± 4.39. The mean visuo-spatial score was 3 ± 1.54, naming score was 2.46 ± 0.69, attention score was 3.97 ± 1.38, language score was 2.37 ± 0.8, abstraction score was 1.91 ± 0.31, delayed recall was 2.04 ± 1.33 and orientation was 4.95 ± 1.21.

Conclusion:

Pregabalin were found to cause cognitive impairment and the magnitude of the impact was based on the duration of therapy and dose of the drug.