Results suggested that all therapies had little to no effect on pain and other patient-important outcomes .
Our findings are inconsistent with major clinical practice guidelines ; the available evidence suggests no beneficial effects of any therapies that research ers have evaluated in r and omized controlled trials
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Central poststroke pain is a chronic neuropathic disorder that follows a stroke .
Current research on its management is limited , and no review has evaluated all therapies for central poststroke pain .
Safety and efficacy of pregabalin in patients with central post-stroke pain
& NA ; Pregabalin has demonstrated efficacy in several forms of neuropathic pain , but its long‐term efficacy in central post‐stroke pain ( CPSP ) is unproven . We evaluated the efficacy and safety of pregabalin versus placebo in patients with CPSP . A 13‐week , r and omized , double‐blind , multicenter , placebo‐controlled , parallel group study of 150 to 600 mg/day pregabalin was conducted in patients aged ⩾18 years with CPSP . The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean pain score on the Daily Pain Rating Scale over the last 7 days on study drug up to week 12 or early termination visit . Secondary endpoints included other pain parameters and patient‐reported sleep and health‐related quality ‐of‐life measures . A total of 219 patients were treated ( pregabalin  n = 110  ; placebo n = 109 ) . A mean pain score at baseline of 6.5 in the pregabalin group and 6.3 in the placebo group reduced at endpoint to 4.9 in the pregabalin group and 5.0 in the placebo group ( LS mean difference = –0.2 ; 95 % CI = –0.7 , 0.4 ; P = 0.578 ) . Treatment with pregabalin result ed in significant improvements , compared with placebo , on secondary endpoints including MOS‐sleep , HADS‐A anxiety , and clinician global impression of change ( CGIC ) P < 0.05 . Adverse events were more frequent with pregabalin than with placebo and caused discontinuation in 9 ( 8.2 % ) of pregabalin patients versus 4 ( 3.7 % ) of placebo patients . Although pain reductions at endpoint did not differ significantly between pregabalin and placebo , improvements in sleep , anxiety , and CGIC suggest some utility of pregabalin in the management of CPSP . Pain reductions at endpoint did not differ significantly between pregabalin and placebo , but improvements in comorbid conditions suggest some utility of pregabalin in central post‐stroke pain management
Results suggested that all therapies had little to no effect on pain and other patient-important outcomes .
Our findings are inconsistent with major clinical practice guidelines ; the available evidence suggests no beneficial effects of any therapies that research ers have evaluated in r and omized controlled trials
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Central poststroke pain is a chronic neuropathic disorder that follows a stroke .
Current research on its management is limited , and no review has evaluated all therapies for central poststroke pain .