Conditions: Diabetic Neuropathy
Keywords: Diabetic neuropathy Pregabalin Lyrica
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 40
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
This study is designed to examine how pregabalin affects parameters of autonomic nerve regulation in correlation with change in pain, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in patients with diabetic neuropathy.

Detailed description:
This study is designed to primarily examine how pregabalin affects the autonomic nerve or sympathetic-parasympathetic regulation in patients with diabetic neuropathy and its relationship to neuropathic pain. The goals of this study include (1) assessing the change of parameters of autonomic nerve function such as heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), minute ventilation, and changes in objective sleep parameters measured by means of the LifeShirt, upon treatment of pregabalin in comparison to placebo; (2) assessing the symptom change of neuropathic pain upon treatment of pregabalin in comparison to placebo; (3) assessing the change of anxiety symptoms upon treatment of pregabalin in comparison to placebo; (4) assessing the change of depressive symptoms upon treatment of pregabalin in comparison to placebo; (5) assessing the relationship of autonomic nerve function with neuropathic pain at baseline prior to treatment and the correspondences to the study drug; (6) assessing the relationship of autonomic nerve function with anxiety and depressive symptoms at baseline prior to treatment and their correspondences to the study drug; (7) identifying sensitive and reliable parameters of autonomic nerve regulation as predictor(s) of the severity and improvement of neuropathic pain and/or anxiety; and (8) to assess the change in objective sleep parameters (EEG/EOG) by means of the LifeShirt, upon treatment of pregabalin in comparison to placebo

Arms:
arm 1: Pregabalin medication arm 2: Placebo

Interventions: intervention 1: Pregabalin intervention 2: Placebo
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Subjects will take pregabalin for the duration of four weeks. The dosage will range from 75 mg twice a day to 300 mg twice a day. intervention 2: Subjects will take placebo for the duration of four weeks. The dosage will range from 75 mg twice a day to 300 mg twice a day.

Protocol document: