Prescription drugs pregabalin and gabapentin are to be reclassified as class C controlled substances from next April, the government announced today (15 October). What's the Difference? Gabapentin (Neurontin) and Lyrica (Pregabalin) are both medications commonly used to treat neuropathic pain, seizures, and certain types of nerve-related conditions. They belong to the same class of drugs called gabapentinoids and work by binding to specific receptors in the brain to reduce the transmission of pain signals. Gabapentin and pregabalin are antiepileptic drugs commonly used for neuropathic pain management and pain reduction in adults. Both medications are classified as antiepileptic medications, but they have differences in pharmacokinetics, safety profile, and clinical applications. Gabapentin is not the same as pregabalin, even though they both belong to the same class of medicine, called gabapentinoids, and work similarly. Lyrica and Lyrica CR are the only brands of pregabalin. Neurontin is a brand name for gabapentin. Other brands of gabapentin include Gralise and Horizant. Gabapentin and pregabalin both work to increase the amount of GABA (a pain-fighting transmitter) in your central nervous system. These two medications are in the same drug class. They are gabapentinoids or more generally called anticonvulsants. However, there are differences between them. Lyrica (pregablin) and gabapentin (Neurontin) are anti-epileptic medications used to treat seizures and nerve pain (neuropathic pain). Gabapentin is also used to treat nerve pain caused by shingles (herpes zoster). What are pregabalin and gabapentin? Pregabalin and gabapentin, collectively gabapentinoids, are primarily anticonvulsant drugs. Over the past decade, they have been increasingly prescribed for pain. 1 They are recommended for neuropathic pain in adults 2 3 (table 1), but are commonly used off-label for other pain disorders such as low back pain, sciatica, and migraine. 9 10 Pregabalin was one Gabapentin and pregabalin are absorbed from the intestines by an active transport process mediated via the large neutral amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1, SLC7A5), a transporter for amino acids such as L -leucine and L -phenylalanine. [1][15][22] Very few (less than 10 drugs) are known to be transported by this transporter. [23] Unlike gabapentin, which is transported solely by the LAT1, [22][24 Gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) both belong to a class of drugs called gabapentinoids, which means they work in similar ways. They're both used to treat chronic pain in certain Gabapentin and pregabalin are both used to treat partial-onset seizures and nerve pain from shingles (postherpetic neuralgia). Additionally, gabapentin and pregabalin are used off-label to treat a variety of mental health and pain disorders. Pregabalin and gabapentin can both provide relief from pain and be effective ways to manage seizure disorders. However, it’s important to consider the differences between them. Pregabalin is more rapidly absorbed compared to gabapentin, which has a slower absorption rate. Gabapentin and pregabalin are similar drugs but differ in several distinct ways. The main differences are their indications—specific uses that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved them to treat—and their dosages. From 1 April 2019 pregabalin and gabapentin will be reclassified as class C controlled substances in the UK. The change, announced in October 2018, is expected to prompt a decline in the use of the drugs as prescribing, dispensing, and collecting them becomes more onerous for doctors, pharmacists, and patients. The reclassification will make it illegal to supply pregabalin and gabapentin Pregabalin and gabapentin are both FDA approved as an add-on treatment for partial-onset seizures. But pregabalin is approved for adults and children as young as 1 month old, whereas gabapentin is approved for adults and children who are at least 3 years old. Pregabalin and gabapentin are to be reclassified as Class C controlled substances from April 2019, the government has announced. Having originally been developed as an anti-seizure medication, gabapentinoids include gabapentin and pregabalin, which are now prescribed primarily for neuropathic pain, seizures and anxiety, but also for fibromyalgia, restless legs syndrome and complications of MS (Chan et al, 2023). First introduced in the UK and the US in 1993, the number of doses of pregabalin and gabapentin taken daily As of 1 April 2019, pregabalin and gabapentin are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as Class C substances and scheduled under the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 as Schedule 3 Learn how pregabalin and gabapentin compare in effectiveness, safety, dosing, and addiction risk for neuropathic pain and seizure disorders. Peak plasma concentrations are seen within an hour as compared to 3 hours with gabapentin. 12 Oral bioavailability for pregabalin is more than 90% as compared to 30–60% for gabapentin. These differences can be explained by the mechanism of absorption. Lyrica (pregabalin) and Neurontin (gabapentin) are both classified as “gabapentinoids” (i.e. α2δ ligands). As gabapentinoids, Lyrica (pregabalin) and Neurontin (gabapentin) are chemical analogues of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) that interact with α2δ subunit-containing voltage-dependent calcium channels.
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