title: Pregabalin for the treatment of social anxiety disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, causing a reduction of in the quality of life by impairing functioning in social situations. The lifetime prevalence of SAD is estimated to be 12%. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are considered first-line drugs for SAD. However, new effective therapeutic options are still needed. Pregabalin is a novel anxiolytic, which seems to be a promising therapy for SAD.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review presents the results of three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy and safety of pregabalin with placebo in patients with generalized SAD. The authors also discuss the long-term safety and tolerability data from an extension study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the RCTs have demonstrated efficacy and safety with pregabalin at doses of 600 mg or 450 mg/d for treating generalized SAD. Thus, pregabalin may be an effective therapeutic option, especially for patients who cannot tolerate the adverse effects or who demonstrate a lack of efficacy with SSRIs or SNRIs. In addition to being an alternative therapy to SSRIs or SNRIs, it may also have value as an add-on therapy, either to augment pharmacotherapy or in addition to cognitive-behavioral therapy.
authors.affiliation: Jagiellonian University Medical College, Department of Drug Management, Faculty of Health Sciences , Grzegórzecka 20, PL 31-531 Kraków , Poland pawel.kawalec@uj.edu.pl.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kawalec
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cierniak
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pilc
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nowak
mesh_terms: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000069583:Pregabalin; D011788:Quality of Life; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
keywords: anxiolytic; pregabalin; review; social anxiety disorder