Comparing Effectiveness of Gabapentin and Pregabalin in Treatment of Neuropathic Pain: A Retrospective Cohort of Palliative Care Outpatients

Abstract

Gabapentin and pregabalin are often considered first line treatment options for various neuropathic pain conditions. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to compare clinically meaningful pain reduction and other relevant outcomes among patients prescribed either gabapentin or pregabalin at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Palliative Care Clinic (PCC). The primary endpoint was a significant improvement in pain within six months of initiating either gabapentin or pregabalin. Secondary endpoints included the average number of pills per day as documented at last visit in the study period, the incidence of gabapentinoid dose reductions due to adverse effects, and the incidence of discontinuation of a gabapentinoid due to adverse effects. 222 patients were included in the gabapentin group and 30 patients were included in the pregabalin group. There was not a statistically significant difference between the groups in the primary outcome of pain reduction (p = 0.43). Dose reductions due to adverse effects were statistically significantly (p = 0.03) higher in the gabapentin group than the pregabalin group. The average number of pills per day by a patient in the gabapentin group was 1.8 pills higher than the pregabalin group which was statistically significant (p = 0.01). The results of this analysis support the notion that there is no significant difference in meaningful pain reduction with gabapentin versus pregabalin. This study demonstrates that pregabalin may afford better tolerability and lower pill burden compared to gabapentin.