Shingles Drug Relieves Pain of Spinal Cord Injury

Pregabalin, the drug most commonly used to treat shingles, has now been shown to reduce the pain of patients with spinal cord injury.

The study, reported in the Neurology, examined 137 adult spinal cord injury patients. The control group received placebo, while the other group received pregabalin.

At the end of the 12 week study, less than 16% of those taking pregabalin reported severe pain, compared with 43 percent in the placebo group.

Patients taking pregabalin also reported less anxiety and fewer sleep problems. 57% of patients taking pregabalin said they felt better overall.

The findings are promising for the multiple uses of pregabalin.

While pregabalin has been commonly used to treat the pain associated with severe shingles, it now may be used to treat spinal cord injury pain as well.