Pregabalin as adjunctive therapy in benzodiazepine discontinuation

The body of existing data suggests that pregabalin is not a viable option for benzodiazepine discontinuation, report researchers from the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy. The team reviewed studies that compared the drug with others, such as carbamazepine, as an adjunctive therapy to wean long-time users off benzodiazepine. Most of the research documented consistent improvement in withdrawal symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and cognitive function with pregabalin—which is unlikely to trigger harmful drug interactions and typically causes only mild and transient adverse effects. Still, most of the studies also did not observe a statistically significant difference in benzodiazepine discontinuation rates between it and comparators, leading the researchers to their conclusion.