Ezgi ÇAY, İkbal TÜRKER, Faruk EKİNCİ, Sevcan BİLEN, Ozden OZGUR HOROZ, Hayri YILMAZ, Dinçer YILDIZDAŞ

Acute Dystonia Due to Pregabalin Abuse in an Adolescent

Pregabalin is a drug used to treat neuropathic pain, epilepsy, and fibromyalgia. However, the number of reported cases of pregabalin abuse is steadily growing. This case showed dystonia, an effect not previously documented as a consequence of pregabalin administration. A 16-year-old male patient with no known pre-existing medical conditions was admitted to the pediatric emergency department for the first time, complaining of drowsiness caused by pregabalin abuse. During the patient's follow-up, dystonia was observed, and biperiden was administered at a repeating dose. Subsequently, he was moved to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for further tests and treatment. After three days of follow-up, the patient was discharged due to the absence of complaints. This case report presents dystonia resulting from pregabalin abuse, a condition that has not previously been documented in the literature.

Keywords:

Acute dystonia, dystonia, pregabalin,

PDF

___

Verma V, Singh N, Singh Jaggi A. Pregabalin in neuropathic pain: evidences and possible mechanisms. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2014 Jan;12(1):44-56.
Kuhn D, Müller TJ, Mutschler J. Pregabalinmissbrauch und -Abhängigkeit in verschiedenen europäischen Ländern im Hinblick auf deren Substitutionspolitik [Pregabalin abuse and dependence in various European countries: Association with substitution policies]. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr. 2021 Nov;89(11):553-561.
Rietjens SJ, Sikma MA, Hunault CC, de Lange DW, Hondebrink L. Pregabalin poisoning: Evaluation of dose-toxicity relationship. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2022 Mar;88(3):1288-1297).
Alles SRA, Cain SM, Snutch TP. Pregabalin as a Pain Therapeutic: Beyond Calcium Channels. Front Cell Neurosci. 2020 Apr 15;14:83.
Evoy KE, Morrison MD, Saklad SR. Abuse and Misuse of Pregabalin and Gabapentin. Drugs. 2017 Mar;77(4):403-426.
Isoardi, KZ, Polkinghorne, G, Harris, K, Isbister, GK. Pregabalin poisoning and rising recreational use: a retrospective observational series. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2020; 86: 2435– 2440.
Alan BE, Kızılkan MP, Akgül S. Pregabalin abuse in adolescence: a case series. Turk J Pediatr. 2022;64(2):357-363.
Al-Husseini A, Wazaify M, Van Hout MC. Pregabalin Misuse and Abuse in Jordan: a Qualitative Study of User Experiences. Int J Ment Health Addict. 2018;16(3):642-654.
Batla A. Dystonia: A review. Neurol India. 2018 Mar-Apr;66(Supplement):S48-S58.
Richerson GB, Wu Y. Dynamic equilibrium of neurotransmitter transporters: Not just for reuptake anymore. J Neurophysiol. 2003;90:1363–74.
Termsarasab, P., Thammongkolchai, T. & Frucht, S.J. Medical treatment of dystonia. J Clin Mov Disord 3, 19 (2016).