Pregabalin Drug Reduces Pain Associated With Irritable Bowel Syndrome : Mayo Clinic Study

Mayo clinic study finds pregabalin drug to be beneficial in reducing abdominal pain in patients with inflammatory bowel syndrome.

A team of researchers at Mayo Clinic conducted a pilot study to find the benefits of Pregabalin drug for treating the pain associated with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Pregabalin is a neuro- pain inhibitor drug which is commonly used in the treatment of fibromyalgia (musculoskeletal pain). The findings of the study was presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Las Vegas.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) causes recurrent abdominal pain or discomfort and a fluctuating disturbance in defecation. IBS is not life threatening.

‘Abdominal pain due to irritable bowel syndrome may be reduced by using pregabalin drug.’

Yuri Saito Loftus, M.D., study author said that there is currently only limited treatment options available for the treatment of abdominal pain associated with IBS and pregabalin could potentially be helpful.

The pilot study was followed with 85 IBS patients who were reported with high levels of abdominal pain. They were aged between 18 years to 70 years. Dr. Saito-loftus and her colleagues conducted the placebo - controlled study for 12 weeks.

The results of the study reported that patients who received pregabalin drug showed significant improvement in managing IBS abdominal pain when compared to those who received placebo drug. Improvement in other IBS symptoms like bloating and diarrhea was also noted.

Symptoms of Abdominal Pain - Causes Frequently Asked Questions
Abdominal pain occurs due to multiple causes. Pain due to obstruction in the small intestine appears around or above the umbilicus or belly button. Type of abdominal pain may vary from mild to severe.

The author also cautioned that the study results are not definitive and says "Our study does provide preliminary evidence that pregabalin may be an additional treatment option for patients with IBS who have failed other treatment options, but more research is needed."

Pregabalin

This medication is an anticonvulsant used as an additional treatment of partial seizures. It is also effective against nerve-related pain as it decreases the number of pain signals sent out by the damaged nerves in the body. It is used in the management of postherpetic neuralgia (nerve pain caused by the chicken pox virus), painful peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes, nerve-related pain due to spinal cord injury and fibromyalgia (a condition where the patient has muscle and connective tissue pain). It is also used in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

Source-Medindia

Drugs for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
View list of generic and brand names of drugs used for treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome( Spastic Colon). Find more information including dose, side effects of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome( Spastic Colon) medicine.