Korean J Psychosom Med.
2014 Dec;22(2):138-142. 10.0000/kjpm.2014.22.2.138.
Effect of Gabapentin for the Treatment of Burning Mouth Syndrome Comorbid with Depression in Postmenopausal Women
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Neurology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea. ssprk@kosin.ac.kr
- KMID: 2071073
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.0000/kjpm.2014.22.2.138
Abstract
- Burning mouth syndrome is characterized by intra-oral burning sensation without any organic abnormalities. This syndrome is associated with various etiological factors such as neuropathy, malnutrition, menopause and depression. Several medications have been tried for the treatment. Those are analgesics, hormones, anticonvulsants and antidepressants. However, optimal effective pharmacologic treatment remains still unknown. The purpose of this case study is to report the clinical effectiveness of gabapentin in the treatment of burning mouth syndrome in postmenopausal women with comorbid depression. We report two menopausal women. Antidepressants were effective for improving depressive symptoms, but it had no effects on intra-oral burning sensation. Gabapentin reduced intra-oral burning sensation effectively for all two patients. One patient reported 55% reduction(a decrease from 9 to 4 on VAS), the other patient reported 35% reduction(from 8 to 5) of the intra-oral burning sensation during 16 weeks. The minimal effective daily dose of gabapentin was 300mg. This study suggests that gabapentin might be a useful, effective therapeutic option for treating burning mouth syndrome in postmenopausal women with comorbid depression. Further prospective clinical studies are needed to investigate the effectiveness of gabapentin in patients with burning mouth syndrome.
