title: Treatment of prurigo nodularis with pregabalin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic skin condition that is difficult to treat. Pregabalin is one of the possible treatments for PN but its safety and efficacy are not well defined. We aimed to assess the efficacy of pregabalin in patients with PN.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients (10 men, 20 women; mean age 51.6 ± 9.39 years) were treated with pregabalin (75 mg/day) for 3 months. Efficacy was classified as (i) successful (disappearance of the pruritus and reduction of nodules); (ii) slight improvement/reduction of the nodules, that is, number and/or flattening, no disappearance of itching; or (iii) unsuccessful.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-three patients (76%) responded successfully after 3 months of treatment. There was a statistically significant difference between visual analogue scale scores before and after 1 month treatment period (8·15 ± 2·04 and 1·5 ± 1·12, respectively; P < 0·0001). Pregabalin was generally well tolerated with only six (20%) patients reporting side effects. No patient showed any renal insufficiency.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study, pregabalin was effective for the treatment of PN. However, given the open and non-controlled study design used, a properly powered randomized controlled validation study is called for.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Roma, Roma, Italy. mariannamazza@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guerriero
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marano
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Janiri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bria
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mazza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000700:Analgesics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069583:Pregabalin; D011536:Prurigo / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid