Prevention of addiction in pain management

Abstract

The present invention provides a composition for treating pain. The composition includes a pharmaceutically acceptable analgesic with addictive liability and a GABAergic agent, such as gamma vinyl GABA (GVG) or topiramate, which is effective in reducing or eliminating the addictive liability of the analgesic without interfering with its pain relieving properties.

1 . A composition for treating pain in a mammal comprising: 
 a) a pharmaceutically acceptable analgesic which has addictive liability, and    b) a GABAergic agent which is effective in reducing or eliminating said addictive liability without interfering with the pain relieving properties of said analgesic.    
     
     
         2 . A composition as described in  claim 1  wherein said analgesic is a narcotic analgesic.  
     
     
         3 . A composition as described in  claim 1  wherein said analgesic is selected from the group consisting of alfentanil, allylprodine, alphaprodine, anileridine, benzylmorphine, bezitramide, buprenorphine, butorphanol, clonitazene, codeine, cyclazocine, desomorphine, dextromoramide, dezocine, diampromide, dihydrocodeine, dihydromorphine, dimenoxadol, dimepheptanol, dimethylthiambutene, dioxaphetyl butyrate, dipipanone, eptazocine, ethoheptazine, ethylmethylthiambutene, ethylmorphine, etonitazene fentanyl, heroin, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, hydroxypethidine, isomethadone, ketobemidone, levallorphan, levorphanol, levophenacylmorphan, lofentanil, meperidine, meptazinol, metazocine, methadone, metopon, morphine, myrophine, nalbuphine, narceine, nicomorphine, norlevorphanol, normethadone, nalorphine, normorphine, norpipanone, opium, oxycodone, oxymorphone, papaveretum, pentazocine, phenadoxone, phenomorphan, phenazocine, phenoperidine, piminodine, piritramide, propheptazine, promedol, properidine, propiram, propoxyphene, sufentanil, tramadol, tilidine, salts thereof, mixtures of any of the foregoing, mixed mu-agonists/antagonists, mu-antagonist combinations.  
     
     
         4 . A composition as described in  claim 3  wherein said analgesic is morphine.  
     
     
         5 . A composition as described in  claim 1  wherein said GABAergic agent is selected from the group consisting of gamma vinyl GABA (GVG), gabapentin, valproic acid, progabide, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, fengabine, cetylGABA, topiramate, tiagabine, acamprosate (homo-calcium-acetyltaurine),pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, enantiomers or a racemic mixture thereof, or any combinations thereof.  
     
     
         6 . A composition as described in  claim 5  wherein said GABAergic agent is GVG.  
     
     
         7 . A composition as described in  claim 5  wherein said GABAergic agent is topiramate.  
     
     
         8 . A composition as described in  claim 1  wherein said analgesic is present in an amount of about 5 μg to about 1000 mg.  
     
     
         9 . A composition as described in  claim 1  wherein said analgesic is present in an amount of about 50 μg to about 100 mg.  
     
     
         10 . A composition as described in  claim 1  wherein said GABAergic agent is present in an amount of about 0.5 to about 5.0 grams.  
     
     
         11 . A composition as described in  claim 1  wherein said addictive liability comprises development of dependency.  
     
     
         12 . A composition as described in  claim 1  wherein said addictive liability comprises development of tolerance for said analgesic.  
     
     
         13 . A composition for treating pain in a mammal comprising: 
 a) the analgesic morphine, which has addictive liability, and    b) the GABAergic agent GVG which is effective in reducing or eliminating said addictive liability without interfering with the analgesic properties of morphine.    
     
     
         14 . A composition for treating pain in a mammal comprising: 
 a) the analgesic morphine, which has addictive liability, and    b) the GABAergic agent topiramate which is effective in reducing or eliminating said addictive liability without interfering with the analgesic properties of morphine.