Trendovi u zloupotrebi i zloupotrebi pregabalina: 25-godišnja bibliometrijska perspektiva
Bibliometric Analys : Pregabalin
Sažetak
Abstract
Background/Aim: Pregabalin, initially developed as an antiepileptic drug, has since been widely used for conditions such as neuropathic pain, generalized anxiety disorder, and fibromyalgia. However, increasing concerns have emerged regarding its misuse and abuse potential, especially among opioid-dependent populations. This study aimed to perform a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to evaluate global research trends, identify prolific contributors, and explore collaborative networks related to pregabalin misuse.
Materials and Methods: A bibliometric design was employed using the Web of Science Core Collection database. The search was performed in February 2025, and publications were selected based on predefined criteria. A total of 449 eligible records were analyzed. The bibliometrix R package and its web application, Biblioshiny, within the RStudio environment, were used to conduct statistical and network analyses.
Results: Scientific publications addressing pregabalin misuse have markedly increased since 2010. The United States was the most prolific and central actor in global research collaborations, followed by the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Prominent authors and institutions were found to form tight academic clusters. A steady rise in the usage of keywords such as “abuse,” “addiction,” and “opioids” was observed, particularly after 2016.
Conclusion: The growing literature on pregabalin misuse reflects heightened global awareness. Research remains centered in high-income countries, though emerging contributions from developing regions, including Türkiye, are notable. These findings underline the need for interdisciplinary cooperation, informed policy development, and enhanced clinical monitoring to address the risks associated with pregabalin misuse.
Reference
1.Schifano F. Misuse and abuse of pregabalin and gabapentin: cause for concern? CNS drugs. 2014;28(6):491-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-014-0164-4
2.Evoy KE, Morrison MD, Saklad SR. Abuse and misuse of pregabalin and gabapentin. Drugs. 2017;77:403-26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-017-0700-x
3.Evoy KE, Sadrameli S, Contreras J, Covvey JR, Peckham AM et al. Abuse and misuse of pregabalin and gabapentin: a systematic review update. Drugs. 2021;81:125-56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-020-01432-7
4.Dependence WECoD. Pre-review report. Expert Committee on Drug Dependence. Forty-first meeting. 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2018.10.001
5.Al-Husseini A, Wazaify M, Van Hout MC. Pregabalin misuse and abuse in Jordan: a qualitative study of user experiences. International journal of mental health and addiction. 2018;16:642-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-017-9813-4
6.Aria M, Cuccurullo C. bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of informetrics. 2017;11(4):959-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
7.Freeman LC. A set of measures of centrality based on betweenness. Sociometry. 1977:35-41. https://doi.org/10.2307/3033543
8.Rousseeuw PJ. Silhouettes: a graphical aid to the interpretation and validation of cluster analysis. Journal of computational and applied mathematics. 1987;20:53-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-0427(87)90125-7
9.Chiappini S, Schifano F. A decade of gabapentinoid misuse: an analysis of the European Medicines Agency’s ‘Suspected Adverse Drug Reactions’ database. CNS drugs. 2016;30:647-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40263-016-0359-y
10.Kapil V, Green JL, Le Lait M-C, Wood DM, Dargan PI. Misuse of the γ-aminobutyric acid analogues baclofen, gabapentin and pregabalin in the UK. British journal of clinical pharmacology. 2013;78(1):190. https://doi.org/10.1111/bcp.12277
11.Schwan S, Sundström A, Stjernberg E, Hallberg E, Hallberg P. A signal for an abuse liability for pregabalin—results from the Swedish spontaneous adverse drug reaction reporting system. European journal of clinical pharmacology. 2010;66:947-53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-010-0853-y
12.Grosshans M, Lemenager T, Vollmert C, Kaemmerer N, Schreiner R, Mutschler J, et al. Pregabalin abuse among opiate addicted patients. European journal of clinical pharmacology. 2013;69:2021-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-013-1578-5
13.Häkkinen M, Vuori E, Kalso E, Gergov M, Ojanperä I. Profiles of pregabalin and gabapentin abuse by postmortem toxicology. Forensic science international. 2014;241:1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.04.028
14.Lyndon A, Audrey S, Wells C, Burnell ES, Ingle S, Hill R, et al. Risk to heroin users of polydrug use of pregabalin or gabapentin. Addiction. 2017;112(9):1580-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13843
15.Bilgener E, Gümüş B. Pregabalin consumption in Turkey: was it an abuse. Farmacia. 2021;69(6):1189-94. https://doi.org/10.31925/farmacia.2021.6.25
16.Öztürk B, Bodur İ, Tekeli A, Çağlar AA, Karacan CD et al. A new threat in adolescence: pregabalin abuse. 2019;9(2):164–166. https://doi.org/10.5222/buchd.2019.66934
17. Donthu N, Kumar S, Mukherjee D, Pandey N, Lim WM. How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research. 2021;133:285–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070
Sva prava zadržana (c) 2025 SALİHA AKSUN, Furkan Oguz KARALAR, Mert Uge, Berna Cafer

Ovaj rad je pod Creative Commons Autorstvo 4.0 međunarodnom licencom.
The published articles will be distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY). It is allowed to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and remix, transform, and build upon it for any purpose, even commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), a link to the license is provided and it is indicated if changes were made. Users are required to provide full bibliographic description of the original publication (authors, article title, journal title, volume, issue, pages), as well as its DOI code. In electronic publishing, users are also required to link the content with both the original article published in Journal of Medical Biochemistry and the licence used.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
