Gabapentin in treatment for pruritus and insomnia among patients with hemodialysis / 中华全科医师杂志

ABSTRACT

This paper aimed to study clinical effectiveness of gabapentin in the treatment for pruritus and insomnia among patients with hemodialysis. Eighty patients with severe pruritus and insomnia during regular hemedialysis in Jiaozhou People's Hospital, Jiangsu were randomly divided into two groups with 40 patients each. Gahapentin 0. 1 g were given each patient every night for 4 weeks in one group and a modified-re]ease capsule of 8 mg chiorphenamine maleate was given each patient daffy for 4 weeks in the other group. Effectiveness of treatment was evaluated by improvement of itching symptoms and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores for insomnia in the patients. Itching improvement was observed in 85%(34/40) of the patients and PSQI scores obviously lowered in them four weeks after gabapentin treatment.However, itching improvement was observed only in 42% ( 17/40 ) of the patients and little change was observed in PSQI scores in them four weeks after chlorphenamine treatment It suggests that gabapentin can significantly improve quality of sleeping and itching symptoms in patients with hemodialysis and it is worthy popularizing in those with it.