Can the long term using of pregabalin in fibromyalgia affect the choroid and retinal nerve fiber layer?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In this study, the effects of long-term pregabalin use on the choroid and retinal nerve fiber layer were investigated in the fibromyalgia disease. METHODS: The patient group consisted of 41 fibromyalgia patients using pregabalin. The control group consisted of 41 newly diagnosed fibromyalgia patients who had not received any treatment yet. Choroidal and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness measurements were performed with Cirrus HD-OCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc., Dublin, CA, USA) 30 minutes after pupil dilation with 1% tropicamide. RESULTS: There was no difference in subfoveal choroidal thickness, nasal choroidal thickness and temporal choroidal thickness between the patient and control groups (p > 0.05). Increasing the duration of drug use within the patient group was found to thin the retinal nerve fiber layer (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We found that pregabalin had no effect on the choroid, while it had a thinning effect for retinal nerve fiber layer. It is recommended not to be preferred pregabalin in fibromyalgia patients with retinal nerve fiber layer damage such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Patients treated with pregabalin should have regular control in the ophthalmology clinic.

Fibromyalgia: one year in review 2023

“…The calculation of SUCRA indicated that PGB 450 mg was the best performing option for R30%, and AMT 25 mg for R50%; PGB 150 mg was the worst perform-ing drug in both cases (61). It is also important to remember that PGB has a thinning effect on the retinal nerve fibre layer and should therefore not be used to treat FM patients with retinal nerve fibre layer damage, such as those with diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma (62). Finally, a meta-analysis has shown that vitamin D supplementation is more effective than placebo in reducing Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire scores (but not visual analogue scale scores) (63).…”