title: Pregabalin: dose-response relationship in generalized anxiety disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pregabalin is a structural analogue of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Although pregabalin has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a number of randomized controlled trials, there is little published data on the optimal dose for treating this condition. The objective of the current study was to examine the dose-response relationship for treatment of GAD with pregabalin.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current study pools results from previous fixed-dose treatment trials of GAD with pregabalin and uses curve-fitting statistical procedures to generate curvilinear regression lines as a synthesis of previous dose-response information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Peak reduction in anxiety symptoms was observed to occur at a dose of approximately 450 mg/day, with a small reduction in treatment effect beyond this dose. Treatment effect on psychic anxiety symptoms reached a peak at approximately 400 mg, with a reduction in efficacy beyond this dose. Somatic anxiety symptoms showed continued increase in therapeutic effect up to the maximum dose of 600 mg/day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Implications for psychiatric practice, limitations of the methodology and avenues for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology and Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Southport, Queensland, Australia. m.boschen@griffi th.edu.au
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Boschen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D000069583:Pregabalin; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid