- Title
- Pregabalin poisoning and rising recreational use: a retrospective observational series
- Creator
- Isoardi, Katherine Z.; Polkinghorne, Gregory; Harris, Keith; Isbister, Geoffrey K.
- Relation
- NHMRC.ID1061041 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1061041
- Relation
- British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Vol. 86, Issue 12, p. 2435-2440
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14348
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- Aims: With rising use worldwide, pregabalin is increasingly implicated in poisoning deaths. We aimed to investigate the clinical effects and complications of pregabalin poisoning. Methods: This is a retrospective review of patients presenting with pregabalin poisoning to two tertiary toxicology units from 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2019. Patients were identified from prospective databases maintained by both units and data were extracted from these in addition to medical records. Results: There were 488 presentations in 413 patients (237 [57%] male) over the five-year period. The median age was 41 years (IQR 31-50 years). Deliberate self-poisonings accounted for 342 (70%) presentations, with 121 (25%) recreational exposures. Recreational exposures increased over the period from 2 (4%) in the first year to 54 (39%) presentations in the final year. The median dose of pregabalin was 1200 mg (IQR 600-3000 mg, range 75-16 800 mg). Co-ingestions occurred in 427 (88%) presentations, with sedating agents being co-ingested in 387 (79%)-most commonly opioids and benzodiazepines in 201 (41%) and 174 (36%) presentations respectively. Coma (GCS < 9) occurred in 89 (18%) cases, with 52 (11%) patients being intubated. Only one (0.2%) of these patients had not co-ingested a sedating agent. Hypotension occurred in 26 (5%) cases, all with co-ingestants. Seizures occurred in 11 (2%) cases, 3/59 (5%) in pregabalin-only overdoses. The median length of stay was 16.5 hours (IQR 10-25 hours). Conclusions: Pregabalin overdose does not cause severe toxicity, but rather mild sedation and, uncommonly, seizures. Coma is common in the presence of sedating co-ingestants. Recreational use is increasing.
- Subject
- drug abuse; overdose and poisoning; toxicology; adult; SDG 3; Sustainable Development Goals
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1465074
- Identifier
- uon:47198
- Identifier
- ISSN:0306-5251
- Rights
- This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Isoardi, Katherine Z.; Polkinghorne, Gregory; Harris, Keith; Isbister, Geoffrey K. “Pregabalin poisoning and rising recreational use: a retrospective observational series”. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Vol. 86, Issue 12, p. 2435-2440 (2020), which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bcp.14348. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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