A cross-sectional study of prescribing of antiseizure medication for the treatment of pain in Australia.

Summary: Doctors are prescribing seizure medicines, like pregabalin, to treat pain more and more. But do they actually work for pain? The proof is mixed. A study in Australia looked at over 170,000 patients who started taking these medicines. They found that 8 out of 10 people taking them were treating pain, not seizures. Pregabalin was the most popular choice. Because these drugs are being used so often for pain, and they can have bad side effects, doctors need to be careful and study them more to keep patients safe.