Pregabalin for the Treatment of Pain After Posterior Spinal Fusions

Summary

Acute pain management is challenging in patients after spinal fusions, particularly since most have taken analgesics for prolonged periods before choosing the surgical alternative. Many of these patients are either preoperatively or become after surgery narcotic dependent. In addition, the narcotic based anesthetic required for the procedure, may induce a postoperative hyper-analgesia which may be partially responsible for the acute postoperative pain which is refractory to traditional doses of narcotics. Both the persistent nociceptive and neuropathic pain which these patients experience and narcotic-induced hyper-analgesia is mediated via non-conventional neural pathways. It is for these reasons, that in these patients postoperative pain is refractory to narcotic treatment. Postoperative pain in this situation is best managed using a multimodal approach. This technique allows the application of a number of treatment modalities which maximize pain reduction and minimize treatment side effects. Pregabalin (Lyrica) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of neuropathic pain. Pregabalin has a similar mechanism of action as gabapentin. Notably it has a rapid consistent absorption, linear pharmacokinetics, and a low potential for pharmacokinetic drug interactions. Hence, pregabalin should be a beneficial addition to the multi-modal pain regimen after spinal surgery; particularly in narcotic tolerant patients who respond poorly to conventional narcotic analgesics after surgery.

Timeline

Start

2008-10

Primary completion

2012-02

Completion

2012-02

Publications

• Background Mao J, Price DD, Mayer DJ. Mechanisms of hyperalgesia and morphine tolerance: a current view of their possible interactions. Pain. 1995 Sep;62(3):259-274. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(95)00073-2.
• Background Mao J. Opioid-induced abnormal pain sensitivity: implications in clinical opioid therapy. Pain. 2002 Dec;100(3):213-217. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(02)00422-0. No abstract available.
• Background Bell RF, Dahl JB, Moore RA, Kalso E. Peri-operative ketamine for acute post-operative pain: a quantitative and qualitative systematic review (Cochrane review). Acta Anaesthesiol Scand. 2005 Nov;49(10):1405-28. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2005.00814.x.
• Background Plasse M, Stahl JP, Rose-Pitet L, Joannard A, Guillen MC, Beaudoing A. [Neonatal septicemia and arthritis caused by an unusual germ]. Pediatrie. 1982 Jul-Aug;37(5):351-4. No abstract available. French.
• Background Tiippana EM, Hamunen K, Kontinen VK, Kalso E. Do surgical patients benefit from perioperative gabapentin/pregabalin? A systematic review of efficacy and safety. Anesth Analg. 2007 Jun;104(6):1545-56, table of contents. doi: 10.1213/01.ane.0000261517.27532.80.
• Background Gajraj NM. Pregabalin for pain management. Pain Pract. 2005 Jun;5(2):95-102. doi: 10.1111/j.1533-2500.2005.05205.x.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.