Pregabalin and Edema in Young Women Suffering from Premenstrual Syndrome

Introduction

Pregabalin (PGB) is an antiepileptic drug that is also approved for neuropathic pain and for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) [1] [3] [8] [9]. PGB is a GABA analogue that is reported to have mild side effects including transient dizziness, somnolence, dry mouth and ataxia [14]. Edemas are reported to occur in up to 8% of the treated patients but only in higher doses [7]. In the literature to date, there are only two reports on PGB-related edema [12] [15], one of them caused by withdrawal of the drug [12] and one observed with medium dosages of PGB [15]. The authors of the latter case report conclude, however, that edema with PGB treatment may be self-limited, transient and therefore not frequently found. We report here on three cases of severe and persistent edema in young females with GAD and a history of premenstrually-related cyclic edema, one of which was succesfully treated with a new oral contraceptive regimen.

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