Treatment of prurigo nodularis with pregabalin.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Prurigo Nodularis (PN) is a chronic skin condition that is difficult to treat. Pregabalin is one of the possible treatments for PN but its safety and efficacy are not well defined. We aimed to assess the efficacy of pregabalin in patients with PN. METHODS: 30 patients (10 men, 20 women; mean age 51,6±9,39 years) were treated with pregabalin (75 mg/day) for 3 months. Efficacy was classified as: (i) successful (disappearance of the pruritus and reduction of nodules); (ii) slight improvement /reduction of the nodules, i.e. number and/or flattening, no disappearance of itching; or (iii) unsuccessful RESULTS: Twenty-three patients (76%) responded successfully after 3 months of treatment. There was a statistically significant difference between visual analogue scale (VAS) scores before and after one month treatment period (8.15±2.04 and 1.5±1.12, respectively;p<0.0001). Pregabalin was generally well-tolerated with only six (20%) patients reporting side-effects. No patient showed any renal insufficiency, WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: In our study, pregabalin was effective for the treatment of PN. However, given the open and non-controlled study design used, a properly powered randomized controlled validation study is called for.