title: Pregabalin abuse after past substance-seeking behavior.
abstract: Pregabalin is a prescription drug, structurally related to the neurotransmitter GABA. Following the rapidly increasing use of pregabalin, data signaling its abuse liability have been published recently. We report a case of a 19-year-old man with a history of cannabis and alcohol-seeking behavior that showed similar drug-seeking behavior with pregabalin. This report highlights the potential for abuse of pregabalin in patients with a history of substance-seeking behavior. Considering that the drug has recently been proposed as a treatment for alcohol- and benzodiazepine-dependence a better clarification of its abuse potential is essential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. gpapaz@med.auth.gr
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papazisis
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garyfallos
authors.forename: Chrysanthi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sardeli
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kouvelas
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000523:psychology*; D058999:Drug-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D002189:Marijuana Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D000069583:Pregabalin; D055815:Young Adult; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid