Pregabalin effective in treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), finds study

Pregabalin may be a promising treatment option to reduces IBS‐related symptoms in IBS patients, revealed a study published in AP&T.

Irritable bowel syndrome is a mixture of symptoms which includes abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea caused due to abnormal muscular movement of the bowel. It is the most prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder observed in the general population worldwide affecting the lives of thousands. Since, the disease is chronic in nature, signs, and symptoms may vary from mild to severe periodically. Therefore appropriate treatment of the IBS patients is highly important.

Recently, researchers of mayo clinic have confirmed that pregabalin ( a calcium channel α2δ ligand ) can be a beneficial drug to treat people suffering from IBS. The study appeared in the journal AP & T " Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics ". Pregabalin is a calcium channel α2δ ligand that modifies visceral hypersensitivity in IBS. studies show that Visceral hypersensitivity is a very important clinical marker in a subset of patients who have IBS and could account for the symptoms of urgency for bowel movements, bloating and abdominal pain experienced by these patients.

The researchers conducted a double-blind placebo trial on adults meeting IBS Rome III criteria with ≥3 pain attacks per month. The researchers randomized the patients to pregabalin 225 mg vs placebo twice daily for 12 weeks. Questionnaires were completed weekly. The primary endpoint was the average pain Bowel Symptom Scale (BSS) scores weeks 9‐12. An intention‐to‐treat analysis of covariance evaluated treatment effects on quantitative endpoints, adjusting for age and gender. Adequate relief and change in pain score were assessed using a chi‐squared test. The trial was conducted on 85 patients in which the mean age was 39.4; 73 were female; 37 IBS‐D, 29 IBS‐M, 18 IBS‐C.

The researchers observed that the pregabalin arm had lower average pain‐BSS scores weeks 9‐12. Compared with placebo, the overall IBS BSS severity score was lower in the pregabalin arm. Findings from the study also revealed that at week 12, 63% of patients who received pregabalin had a change in pain score of ≥30 from baseline compared to 45% of patients who received placebo. No differences were observed in post‐treatment IBS‐QoL scores between the 2 groups.

The study's data provides an important clue about the efficacy of pregabalin to be used as a treatment option for IBS symptoms.

Read more about the study on: DOI: doi.org/10.1111/apt.15077