Chronic Pregabalin Abuse: Experiences from Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Uttarakhand, North India: A Case Series

Abstract Pregabalin, a gabapentinoid frequently prescribed for neuropathic pain, is also increasingly identified as a drug for abuse. There is a rising concern regarding its abuse potential, and a handful of case reports have highlighted the same. We present a case series on pregabalin dependence. In contrast to previous case reports, which focused on patients with a history of illicit drug abuse, we present cases of drug-naive individuals for whom pregabalin was the first substance of abuse. The highlight of the study is that we describe cases of pregabalin intoxication and a rare case of pregabalin withdrawal, which presented as a lethal suicidal attempt in tertiary care settings.