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Table 1 Characteristics of exposures involving gabapentin or pregabalin as the primary substance reported to the national poison data system by age group, 2012–2022

From: Gabapentin and pregabalin exposures reported to United States poison centers, 2012–2022

Characteristics

Age group

≤ 5 years

n (%)a

6–19 years

n (%)a

20–29 years

n (%)a

30–39 years

n (%)a

40–49 years

n (%)a

50–59 years

n (%)a

≥ 60 years

n (%)a

Unknown

Total

n (%)a

Sex

         

Male

7,935 (51.1)

3,747 (36.9)

6,860 (44.0)

8,332 (42.2)

7,246 (38.1)

7,004 (38.7)

7,293 (35.3)

1,849

50,266 (40.6)

Female

7,599 (48.9)

6,398 (63.1)

8,722 (56.0)

11,403 (57.8)

11,762 (61.9)

11,094 (61.3)

13,375 (64.7)

3,098

73,451 (59.4)

Unknown

45

11

16

16

14

8

20

314

444

Type of exposure

Single-substance

13,498 (86.6)

6,851 (67.5)

8,838 (56.7)

10,733 (54.3)

10,052 (52.8)

10,085 (55.7)

14,049 (67.9)

4,122

78,228 (62.9)

Multiple-substance

2,081 (13.4)

3,305 (32.5)

6,760 (43.4)

9,018 (45.7)

8,970 (47.2)

8,021 (44.3)

6,639 (32.1)

1,139

45,933 (37.1)

Reason for exposure

Unintentional

15,524 (99.8)

2,549 (25.2)

1,879 (12.2)

2,741 (14.1)

3,499 (18.7)

5,185 (29.2)

13,044 (64.3)

2,552

46,973 (38.5)

 Unintentional–general

14,946 (96.1)

554 (5.5)

328 (2.1)

385 (2.0)

427 (2.3)

450 (2.5)

865 (4.3)

342

18,297 (15.0)

 Unintentional–therapeutic error

548 (3.5)

1,917 (19.0)

1,447 (9.4)

2,193 (11.3)

2,939 (15.7)

4,580 (25.8)

11,947 (58.9)

2,139

27,710 (22.7)

 Unintentional–otherb

27 (0.2)

64 (0.6)

88 (0.6)

115 (0.6)

99 (0.5)

116 (0.7)

185 (0.9)

55

749 (0.6)

 Unintentional–unknown

3 (0.0)

14 (0.1)

16 (0.1)

48 (0.2)

34 (0.2)

39 (0.2)

47 (0.2)

16

217 (0.2)

Intentional

2 (0.0)

7,430 (73.9)

13,143 (85.7)

16,263 (83.9)

14,730 (78.9)

11,920 (67.1)

6,020 (29.7)

1,943

71,451 (58.5)

 Intentional–suspected suicide

2 (0.0)

5,854 (58.2)

9,867 (64.3)

12,522 (64.6)

11,942 (63.9)

9,527 (53.7)

4,240 (20.9)

1,251

55,205 (45.2)

 Intentional–misuse

0 (0.0)

418 (4.2)

1,128 (7.4)

1,412 (7.3)

1,191 (6.4)

1,140 (6.4)

1,120 (5.5)

227

6,636 (5.4)

 Intentional–abuse

0 (0.0)

844 (8.4)

1,495 (9.7)

1,459 (7.5)

855 (4.6)

576 (3.2)

276 (1.4)

195

5,700 (4.7)

 Intentional–unknown

0 (0.0)

314 (3.1)

653 (4.3)

870 (4.5)

742 (4.0)

677 (3.8)

384 (1.9)

270

3,910 (3.2)

Otherc

22 (0.1)

86 (0.9)

320 (2.1)

388 (2.0)

445 (2.4)

627 (3.5)

1,220 (6.0)

584

3,692 (3.0)

Unknown

31

91

256

359

348

374

404

182

2,045

Management site

Managed on site (not in a healthcare facility)

10,414 (67.4)

2,107 (20.9)

1,724 (11.1)

2,361 (12.0)

3,049 (16.1)

4,542 (25.2)

11,622 (56.7)

2,787

38,606 (31.3)

Individual already in (en route to) a healthcare facility

3,475 (22.5)

6,979 (69.1)

12,325 (79.4)

15,771 (80.2)

14,641 (77.3)

12,360 (68.6)

7,474 (36.5)

688

73,713 (60.0)

Individual referred by poison center to a healthcare facility

1,509 (9.8)

915 (9.1)

1,371 (8.8)

1,407 (7.2)

1,145 (6.0)

1,002 (5.6)

1,152 (5.6)

1,477

9,978 (8.1)

Other

56 (0.4)

93 (0.9)

108 (0.7)

122 (0.6)

109 (0.6)

126 (0.7)

251 (1.2)

108

973 (0.8)

Unknown

125

62

70

90

78

76

189

201

891

Highest level of health care received

No healthcare facility treatment receivedd

10,470 (69.9)

2,200 (23.0)

1,832 (12.8)

2,483 (13.5)

3,158 (17.6)

4,668 (27.1)

11,873 (60.1)

2,895

39,579 (34.0)

Treated/evaluated and released

3,950 (26.4)

3,155 (33.0)

4,795 (33.5)

5,450 (29.6)

4,679 (26.0)

3,866 (22.5)

2,894 (14.7)

257

29,046 (25.1)

Admitted

352 (2.4)

4,037 (39.3)

7,349 (51.3)

10,092 (55.0)

9,830 (54.8)

8,431 (49.0)

4,655 (23.6)

221

44,967 (39.0)

 Admitted to a critical care unit

144 (1.0)

724 (7.6)

1,949 (13.6)

3,136 (17.1)

3,178 (17.7)

2,750 (16.0)

1,546 (7.8)

60

13,487 (11.7)

 Admitted to a non-critical care unit

204 (1.4)

763 (8.0)

1,466 (10.2)

2,218 (12.1)

2,132 (11.9)

2,169 (12.6)

1,709 (8.7)

51

10,712 (9.3)

 Admitted to a psychiatric facility

4 (0.0)

2,550 (26.7)

3,934 (27.5)

4,738 (25.8)

4,520 (25.2)

3,512 (20.4)

1,400 (7.1)

110

20,768 (18.0)

Refused referral/did not arrive at healthcare facility

204 (1.4)

162 (1.7)

353 (2.5)

363 (2.0)

297 (1.7)

252 (1.5)

326 (1.7)

420

2,377 (2.0)

Unknowne

603

602

1,269

1,363

1,058

889

940

1,468

8,192

Medical outcome

No effect

7,410 (49.6)

2,675 (27.7)

3,217 (22.2)

3,731 (20.1)

3,502 (19.4)

3,139 (18.1)

3,462 (17.4)

421

27,557 (23.6)

Minor effect

1,129 (7.6)

3,389 (35.1)

5,331 (36.8)

6,473 (34.9)

6,065 (33.6)

5,215 (30.1)

3,867 (19.4)

468

31,937 (27.4)

Serious medical outcome

179 (1.2)

1,729 (17.9)

4,010 (27.6)

5,883 (31.7)

5,583 (30.9)

4,935 (28.4)

3,147 (15.8)

193

25,659 (22.1)

 Moderate effect

167 (1.1)

1,536 (15.9)

3,373 (23.3)

4,891 (26.4)

4,601 (25.5)

4,065 (23.4)

2,589 (13.0)

167

21,389 (18.3)

 Major effect

12 (0.1)

191 (2.0)

630 (4.3)

972 (5.2)

964 (5.3)

845 (4.9)

537 (2.7)

23

4,174 (3.6)

 Death

0 (0.0)

2 (0.0)

7 (0.0)

20 (0.1)

18 (0.1)

25 (0.1)

21 (0.1)

3

96 (0.1)

Not followedf

6,219 (42.1)

1,851 (19.4)

1,930 (13.8)

2,469 (12.9)

2,905 (16.1)

4,050 (23.7)

9,417 (47.2)

2,579

31,420 (27.0)

Unknowng

642

512

1,110

1,195

967

767

795

1,600

7,588

Total (row %)

15,579 (12.6)

10,156 (8.2)

15,598 (12.6)

19,751 (16.0)

19,022 (15.4)

18,106 (14.7)

20,688 (16.8)

5,261

124,161 (100.0)

  1. aColumn percentages may not add to 100.0% due to rounding error
  2. b Includes unintentional-environmental, unintentional-occupational, and unintentional-misuse
  3. cIncludes other-contamination/tampering, other-malicious, other-withdrawal, adverse reaction-drug or other
  4. d Includes cases for which management site was recorded “managed on site (not in a healthcare facility)” or “other”
  5. e Includes patient lost to follow-up/ left against medical advice/unknown
  6. f Includes “not followed (minimal clinical effects possible)” and “not followed (judged as a non-toxic exposure)”
  7. g Includes “unable to follow (judged as a potentially toxic exposure)”