Pregabalin

Category: pharmacological

Aliases: Lyrica

Pharmacological Mechanism

α2δ Ca²⁺-channel ligand (same target as gabapentin) — better-defined PK with linear absorption (no saturable transporter). Approved for neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, post-herpetic neuralgia, focal seizures. Schedule V (mild euphoria + abuse signal).

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 6.3h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 150 mg (Range: 25–600 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• musculoskeletal

Pathways It Modulates

• Metabotropic glutamate receptors (inhibitor) — α2δ Ca channel → ↓glutamate release
• Voltage-gated calcium channels (inhibitor) — α2δ-1 subunit

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 5486971
• Formula: C8H17NO2
• Molecular weight: 159.23 g/mol
• InChIKey: AYXYPKUFHZROOJ-ZETCQYMHSA-N
• SMILES: CC(C)C[C@@H](CC(=O)O)CN

References

• PMID 20147618