Patient experiences with gabapentinoid therapy for persistent pain

Objective: To evaluate the real-life experiences of patients receiving gabapentinoid therapy for persistent pain. Persistent pain often contains a neuropathic component and whilst clinical trial evidence supports the use of gabapentinoids in neuropathic pain, there has been little research into patient's experiences with these therapies in practice.

Methods: Patients receiving prescriptions for gabapentin or pregabalin through the Royal Hobart Hospital Pharmacy Department were invited to take part in this study at the point of dispensing. Participation involved patients completing a questionnaire to assess issues including efficacy and how the experience of therapy compared to expectations.

Results: Of 243 surveys distributed during March and April 2013, 83 (34%) were returned with signed consent forms and eligible for inclusion. Sixty-four participants were taking gabapentin (mean dose 1448mg/day) and 19 patients pregabalin (mean dose 232mg/day). In terms of efficacy, 93.8% of gabapentin patients and 89.4% of pregabalin patients reported treatment was either partially or fully effective. Sustained effectiveness was also apparent, with 82.8% and 63.1% of gabapentin and pregabalin users respectively reporting treatment was equally or more effective than when first stabilised on therapy. The vast majority of respondents found that treatment met or exceeded their expectations, with only 12.5% and 21% of those on gabapentin and pregabalin respectively reporting their experience was worse than expected.

Conclusions: In this population with persistent pain, we found high levels of patient satisfaction with gabapentinoid therapy when assessed in terms of overall efficacy, sustained efficacy and alignment with expectations. It appears that the benefits of gabapentinoids reported in clinical trials are translated into real-life practice.