Psychiatria pre prax 4/2016

Treatment of generalized anxiety disorder by using of pregabaline

Generalized anxiety disorder is a quite common psychiatric disorder, affecting approximately 8 % of the population. The disorder is often under diagnosed, due to its lower detection as the difficulties are often mistaken for a normal fears and worries, or it is misdiagnosed - most often as a mixed anxiety and depressive disorder or an adaptation disorder. As the correct diagnosis is often omitted, the treatment is often incorrect as well. Patients tend to seek help of other physicians rather than psychiatrists, therefore they are undiagnosed and do not receive an adequate treatment. This specific group of patients not infrequently chooses a different ways of „self- treatment“, leading to abuse of addictive substances. The following article presents a case report of a patient who suffers from generalized anxiety disorder with comorbid somatoform disorder and zolpideme abuse. She had been treated by antidepressants without any effect, now showing a good response to pregabaline and slow gradual reduction of zolpideme.

Keywords: GAD, anxiety, somatoform disorder, zolpideme addiction, pregabaline