title: Pregabalin for the treatment of patients with generalized anxiety disorder with inadequate treatment response to antidepressants and severe depressive symptoms.
abstract: To evaluate the effectiveness of pregabalin in patients with resistant generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and severe depressive symptoms, we carried out a post-hoc analysis of a multicenter, prospective, and observational 6-month study. We included patients who were at least 18 years old, fulfilled the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria for GAD, showed inadequate responses to previous courses of antidepressant treatment, had Montgomery-Asberg Rating Scale scores of at least 35, had not received pregabalin previously, and were prescribed pregabalin upon entry into this study. We included 1815 patients fulfilling the DSM-IV criteria for GAD, and 133 (7.3%) fulfilled the selection criteria for these analyses. Ninety-seven percent of the patients received pregabalin (mean dose: 222 mg/day) in combination with other psychotropics. The Hamilton Anxiety Scale total score was reduced by a mean of 20.3 points (95% confidence interval, 22.1-18.4) (57.2% reduction) at month 6. Pregabalin also ameliorated comorbid depressive symptoms, with a reduction in the mean score of the Montgomery-Asberg Rating Scale of 22.3 points (95% confidence interval, 24.2-20.4) (56.6% reduction). Our results suggest that pregabalin, as part of a combination regimen with antidepressants and/or benzodiazepines, might be effective for the treatment of patients with GAD who have shown inadequate response to previous antidepressants and have severe depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Psychiatry, Hospital Meixoeiro, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario, Vigo bDepartment of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i San Pau, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona cDepartment of Psychiatry, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Universidad Complutense de Madrid dMedical Department, Pfizer GEP SLU, Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Olivares
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Álvarez
authors.forename: José L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérez Páramo
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: López-Gómez
mesh_terms: D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069583:Pregabalin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000069583:Pregabalin