Table 2.
Characteristics of exposures involving gabapentin or pregabalin as the primary substance reported to the national poison data system by bubstance, 2012–2022
| Characteristics | Substance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabapentin n (%)a |
Pregabalin n (%)a |
Total n (%)a |
|
| Sex | |||
| Male | 43,525 (41.0) | 6,741 (38.6) | 50,266 (40.6) |
| Female | 62,731 (59.0) | 10,720 (61.4) | 73,451 (59.4) |
| Unknown | 383 | 61 | 444 |
| Age group | |||
| ≤5 years | 12,750 (12.5) | 2,829 (16.9) | 15,579 (13.1) |
| 6-19 years | 8,892 (8.7) | 1,264 (7.5) | 10,156 (18.5) |
| 20-29 years | 14,038 (13.7) | 1,560 (9.3) | 15,598 (13.1) |
| 30-39 years | 17,385 (17.0) | 2,366 (14.1) | 19,751 (16.6) |
| 40-49 years | 16,322 (16.0) | 2,700 (16.1) | 19,022 (16.0) |
| 50-59 years | 15,340 (15.0) | 2,766 (16.5) | 18,106 (15.2) |
| ≥60 years | 17,411 (17.1) | 3,277 (19.6) | 20,688 (17.4) |
| Unknown | 4,501 | 760 | 5,261 |
| Type of exposure | |||
| Single-substance | 66,819 (62.7) | 11,409 (65.1) | 77,228 (63.0) |
| Multiple-substance | 39,820 (37.3) | 6,113 (34.9) | 45,933 (37.0) |
| Reason for exposure | |||
| Unintentional | 39,480 (37.6) | 7,493 (43.5) | 46,973 (38.5) |
| Unintentional–general | 15,136 (14.4) | 3,161 (18.4) | 18,297 (15.0) |
| Unintentional–therapeutic error | 23,527 (22.4) | 4,183 (24.3) | 27,710 (22.7) |
| Unintentional–otherb | 642 (0.6) | 107 (0.6) | 749 (0.6) |
| Unintentional–unknown | 175 (0.2) | 42 (0.2) | 217 (0.2) |
| Intentional | 62,498 (59.6) | 8,953 (52.1) | 70,451 (58.5) |
| Intentional–suspected suicide | 48,701 (46.4) | 6,504 (37.8) | 54,205 (45.2) |
| Intentional–misuse | 5,617 (5.4) | 1,019 (5.9) | 6,636 (5.4) |
| Intentional–abuse | 4,848 (4.6) | 852 (5.0) | 5,700 (4.7) |
| Intentional–unknown | 3,332 (3.2) | 578 (3.4) | 3,910 (3.2) |
| Otherc | 2,939 (2.8) | 753 (4.4) | 3,692 (3.0) |
| Unknown | 1,722 | 323 | 2,045 |
| Management site | |||
| Managed on site (not in a healthcare facility) | 32,887 (31.1) | 5,719 (32.9) | 38,606 (31.3) |
| Individual already in (en route to) a healthcare facility | 63,709 (60.2) | 10,004 (57.5) | 73,713 (59.8) |
| Individual referred by poison center to a healthcare facility | 8,466 (8.0) | 1,512 (8.7) | 9,978 (8.1) |
| Other | 822 (0.8) | 151 (0.9) | 973 (0.8) |
| Unknown | 755 | 136 | 891 |
| Highest level of health care received | |||
| No healthcare facility treatment receivedd | 33,709 (33.9) | 5,870 (35.8) | 39,579 (34.1) |
| Treated/evaluated and released | 24,916 (25.0) | 4,130 (25.2) | 29,046 (25.0) |
| Admitted | 38,954 (39.1) | 6,033 (36.7) | 44,967 (38.7) |
| Admitted to a critical care unit | 11,242 (11.3) | 2,245 (13.7) | 13,487 (11.6) |
| Admitted to a non-critical care unit | 9,129 (9.2) | 1,583 (9.6) | 10,712 (9.2) |
| Admitted to a psychiatric facility | 18,583 (18.6) | 2,205 (13.4) | 20,768 (17.9) |
| Refused referral/did not arrive at healthcare facility | 1,996 (2.0) | 381 (2.3) | 2,377 (2.0) |
| Unknowne | 7,084 | 1,108 | 8,192 |
| Medical outcome | |||
| No effect | 23,874 (23.8) | 3,683 (22.4) | 27,557 (23.6) |
| Minor effect | 27,631 (27.6) | 4,306 (26.2) | 31,937 (27.4) |
| Serious medical outcome | 21,505 (21.4) | 4,154 (25.2) | 25,659 (22.0) |
| Moderate effect | 17,964 (17.9) | 3,425 (20.8) | 21,389 (18.3) |
| Major effect | 3,452 (3.4) | 722 (4.4) | 4,174 (3.6) |
| Death | 89 (0.1) | 7 (0.0) | 96 (0.1) |
| Not followedf | 27,135 (27.1) | 4,285 (26.1) | 31,420 (26.9) |
| Unknowng | 6,494 | 1,094 | 7,588 |
| Total (row %) | 106,639 (85.9) | 17,522 (14.1) | 124,161 (100.0) |
aColumn percentages may not add to 100.0% due to rounding error
bIncludes unintentional-environmental, unintentional-occupational, and unintentional-misuse
cIncludes other-contamination/tampering, other-malicious, other-withdrawal, adverse reaction-drug or other
dIncludes cases for which management site was recorded “managed on site (not in a healthcare facility)” or “other”
eIncludes patient lost to follow-up/ left against medical advice/ unknown
fIncludes “not followed (minimal clinical effects possible)” and “not followed (judged as a non-toxic exposure)”
gIncludes “unable to follow (judged as a potentially toxic exposure)”