Lacosamide as an alternative in the treatment of post-surgery neuropathic pain in an allergic patient

• Published in: Revista de neurologiá Vol. 57; no. 7; pp. 313 - 316
• Main Authors: Monge-Márquez, María Estefanía, Márquez-Rivas, Javier, Mayorga-Buiza, María José, Rivero-Garvía, Mónica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Spain 01.10.2013
• Subjects: Acetamides - therapeutic use; Adult; Amines; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Anticonvulsants - therapeutic use; Brachial Plexus Neuropathies - drug therapy; Brachial Plexus Neuropathies - etiology; Contraindications; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Drug Hypersensitivity - complications; Drug Hypersensitivity - etiology; Female; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - analogs & derivatives; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Neuralgia - drug therapy; Neuralgia - etiology; Neurofibroma - complications; Neurofibroma - surgery; Pain, Postoperative - drug therapy; Pain, Postoperative - etiology; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms - complications; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms - surgery; Pregabalin
• ISSN: 1576-6578
• DOI: 10.33588/rn.5707.2013210

Neuropathic pain is a condition that is still not well understood, although it affects a significantly high percentage of the population. The main problem lies in the fact that it can become a fairly disabling pathology. The most frequent treatment is based essentially on two drugs: gabapentin and pregabalin. Other pharmaceuticals, such as antidepressants, opioids or N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists can also be employed in combination with the primary drugs. All the same, treatment remains unsatisfactory. Furthermore, it must be borne in mind that there may be patients who are allergic to the two main drugs. We report the case of a 36-year-old female with neuropathic pain secondary to surgery to correct a neurinoma in the brachial plexus, who could not be treated with gabapentin or pregabalin because of a personal history of allergy to these substances. Treatment with another drug (lacosamide), however, was very effective and displayed a very good response. Lacosamide is a third-generation antiepileptic drug that has been proven to be effective, safe and with few side effects. It has been considered a good therapeutic option for the treatment of neuropathic pain in patients who are allergic to pregabalin.