UK Crisis Grows Over Pregabalin Misuse

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Nearly 3,400 people in the UK have died from overdoses involving pregabalin in the last five years, according to an investigation by The Sunday Times.

One of them was a young man named Alex Cottam, who spiraled into drug abuse, addiction and a fatal overdose after he started taking pregabalin for anxiety and depression.   

“It’s hard to imagine somebody’s whole life revolved around a pill, but it did,” said Cottam’s mother, Michelle. “It completely changed him, like it was an obsession.”

The Sunday Times’ story about Cottam and other pregabalin users sparked a frenzy in British tabloids about the growing misuse of the drug.

“Our Pregabalin nightmare” was the headline in the Daily Mail, which shared the story of a woman with arthritis who said she “felt like I was losing my mind” after taking the drug for six months. Another woman told the tabloid she began seeing “dead people” within 30 minutes of her first dose.  

In a first-person account published in The Telegraph, Miranda Levy wrote about the severe withdrawal she experienced when she stopped taking pregabalin for depression.

“First came the pins and needles, closely followed by the sweating,” said Levy. “Add to this the progression of unremitting nausea, retching, diarrhea, jitteriness, dizziness so bad you can’t stand up and the feeling you’re about to die.”

Pregabalin – commonly known as the brand name Lyrica -- was never intended to treat anxiety, depression or arthritis. It was originally developed as an anticonvulsant that was first approved by the FDA in 2004 as a treatment for epilepsy. Since then it has been prescribed for dozens of painful conditions such as fibromyalgia and diabetic neuropathy, and is sometimes hailed as a “wonder drug” that is safer than opioids.

Pregabalin has helped some pain patients, but for many it’s also had severe side effects such as fatigue, insomnia and cognitive decline. Margaret Heath started taking pregabalin two years ago for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and says it ruined her life.

"I've been on every type of morphine you can be put on... this is by far and away the worse drug to be on. It's worse than fentanyl. There is absolutely no comparison with the viciousness of the withdrawal of pregabalin," Heath told LBC News. "There would be days where I would not be able to do anything except lie there... it was debilitating."

Nearly nine million prescriptions for pregabalin were written in the US in 2021, the last year for which data is available. A similar number were written in England and Wales the following year, despite growing concerns in the UK that pregabalin is being misused to boost the euphoric effects of other drugs.

Pregabalin has become so popular with illicit drug users that it frequently appears in overdose toxicology reports. The number of fatal overdoses in the UK involving pregabalin has risen by nearly 11,000% since 2011, followed by a 3,275% increase in gabapentin-related drug deaths.    

UK Drugs With Biggest % Increase in Deaths (2011-2022)

DAILY MAIL GRAPHIC

Pregabalin and gabapentin (Neurontin) belong in a class of nerve medication known as gabapentinoids. Their mechanism of action – how they affect the brain and central nervous system – is still unclear two decades after their medical use was approved.

The UK drug statistics are mirrored in a recent analysis of drug tests in the US, which found gabapentin in over 13% of urine samples that tested positive for fentanyl. That’s about twice the number of drug tests in which prescription opioids were found.

Just because a drug is “involved” in an overdose or appears in a drug test doesn’t necessarily mean that drug caused the overdose or is a red flag for addiction. But experts say its long past time for doctors to be more careful about prescribing pregabalin, and to warn patients about potential side effects and the risk of withdrawal.

“How can there be rising deaths from pregabalin and a huge explosion of prescriptions, with all these troubles, and yet doctors are using this drug to treat anxiety?” asks Dr. Mark Horowitz, a clinical research fellow at the UK’s National Health Service.

“Doctors are selling cars without brakes,” Horowitz told The Sunday Times. “It boggles the mind when a drug is showing all these dangers to then use it on a wider variety of people.”

Gabapentinoids Still Overprescribed Despite Warnings

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Despite warnings that they are overprescribed for conditions they were never intended to treat, the use of gabapentinoids continues to grow in the United States.

Pregabalin (Lyrica) and gabapentin (Neurontin) are both gabapentinoids, a class of nerve medication initially developed to treat epileptic seizures. Sales of Lyrica and Neurontin tripled a decade ago, when they were touted as safer alternatives to opioids and prescribed off-label for a variety of pain conditions.

In 2018, Michael Johansen, MD, a researcher and family medicine physician, was one of the first to warn that gabapentinoids were being overprescribed, despite little of evidence of their safety and efficacy for pain conditions. Johansen was particularly concerned the drugs were being given to older adults who were long-time users of opioids and benzodiazepines, a class of anti-anxiety medication.

Not much has changed, according to a new research study by Johansen. Using data from a large national survey, Johansen found that 4.7% of U.S. adults were prescribed a gabapentinoid in 2021, up from 4% in 2015 – a statistically significant increase of 17.5% in six years. The growth was primarily driven by gabapentin, as there was little change in pregabalin’s use.

As Johansen found in his earlier study, gabapetinoid use was much more likely in patients who were co-prescribed opioids, muscle relaxants, benzodiazepines or anti-depressants for chronic pain or mental health conditions. The likelihood of a patient being prescribed a gabapentinoid also rises sharply after age 50.

“Gabapentinoids continue to be commonly used in conjunction with other sedating medications, which is concerning in light of the US Food and Drug Administration’s 2019 warning about co-prescribing of gabapentinoids with other central nervous system depressants,” Johansen reported in the Annals of Family Medicine. “Gabapentinoids are likely used for an array of conditions, with the majority being off-label uses for chronic pain with minimal evidence supporting use.”

Despite those warnings, gabapentinoids — gabapentin in particular — are still being promoted as a treatment for all sorts of things, from dental pain to alcoholism to improving your sex life. Gabapentin has been pitched for so many different conditions that a drug company executive infamously called it “snake oil.”

Gabapentin is FDA-approved for epilepsy and neuropathic pain caused by shingles, but is often prescribed off-label for depression, ADHD, migraine, fibromyalgia, bipolar disorder and postoperative pain.  Pregabalin is approved for diabetic nerve pain, fibromyalgia, post-herpetic neuralgia caused by shingles and spinal cord injuries, but is also prescribed off-label for other types of pain.

Many patients report side-effects from gabapentinoids, such as weight gain, blurred vision, dizziness, sedation and cognitive issues. There are also an increasing number of reports that the drugs are being abused and sold on the street to boost the potency of illicit drugs.

“Reports of gabapentinoid abuse alone, and with opioids, have emerged and there are serious consequences of this co-use, including respiratory depression and increased risk of opioid overdose death,” Douglas Throckmorton, MD, a top FDA official said when the agency released  its 2019 warning.  

A 2019 study found little evidence that gabapentinoids should be used off-label to treat pain and said their effectiveness was often exaggerated by prescribing guidelines. The CDC’s 2016 opioid guideline recommended gabapentin and pregabalin dozens of times as alternatives to opioids, without saying a word about their abuse or side effects.

The CDC’s 2022 revised opioid guideline takes a more cautious approach, saying gabapentin and pregabalin can have “small to moderate improvements” on pain, but were associated with a moderate risk of adverse events. Evidence on their long-term use was also lacking, according to the CDC.  

Gabapentin and Pregabalin Only ‘Modestly Effective’ for Pain

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

A new review of clinical studies on the use of gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) in pain management found the drugs are only “modestly effective” and could be risky for some pain patients.

Gabapentin and pregabalin belong to a class of nerve medication called gabapentinoids, which were originally developed as anticonvulsants to treat epileptic seizures. In recent years, however, they have been increasingly prescribed off-label as an alternative to opioids in managing pain. About one in five U.S. adults with chronic pain are prescribed a gabapentinoid.  

"Treating pain has been problematic for a long time, and we're still dealing with the fallout from opioid overuse," says lead author Craig Williams, PharmD, a clinical professor at Oregon State University College of Pharmacy. "Gabapentinoids are modestly effective for certain patients; they are rarely extremely effective, and they are not effective at all for some patients because the mechanisms of the pain don't match up with the mechanisms of the drug.

"Doctors who prescribe gabapentinoids for pain should do so with their eyes wide open and be prepared to stop them if they are ineffective or cause too many side effects."

The study findings, published in the journal Drugs, found that many of the clinical trials for gabapentin and pregabalin were of short duration, had a small number of participants, and performed only slightly better than placebos in reducing pain. Many patients who take the medications also report side effects such as dizziness, confusion, drowsiness, mood swings and weight gain.

"Treating pain is about making patients more functional so they can live their lives better, and if they have to deal with adverse effects for a little pain relief, their lives may not be improving," said Williams.

Pregabalin has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for four pain conditions: post-herpetic neuralgia (shingles), diabetic peripheral neuropathy, spinal cord injury, and fibromyalgia. Gabapentin has only been approved by the FDA for post-herpetic neuralgia.

Despite the limits on their uses, many doctors legally prescribe the drugs “off-label” for pain conditions such as migraines, back pain, post-operative pain and even dental pain. Gabapentin was once derisively referred to as “snake oil” by a pharmaceutical executive because it is so widely prescribed for so many different pain conditions, despite weak evidence.

"In addition, we found that the trials used by the FDA to approve gabepentinoids for pain indications had a couple of key structural weaknesses," Williams said. "The trials tended to be short, typically lasting one to three months, and the trials typically excluded the simultaneous use of other medications that affect the central nervous system. That's important because patients taking gabepentinoids are rarely taking them exclusively; they're often prescribed in conjunction with opioids, muscle relaxants or other epilepsy drugs."

Gabapentin can cause euphoria and feelings of intoxication, and make the effect of opioids and other drugs seem stronger. A 2019 study linked gabapentin to a growing number of attempted suicides.

That same year, the FDA warned that gabapentin and pregabalin may cause serious breathing problems and respiratory depression, especially in older adults. A recent study found that gabapentin raises the risk of delirium in older adults recovering from surgery.

Gabapentinoids and Anti-Depressants Recommended for Diabetic Neuropathy

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

People with painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) should be treated with gabapentinoids, anti-depressants and sodium channel blockers, according to updated guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The guidelines also recommend some alternative treatments, such as ginkgo biloba, capsaicin patches and cognitive behavioral therapy, but strongly discourage the use of opioids.

The AAN’s new guidelines, published online in the journal Neurology, acknowledge that many of the recommended therapies for PDN don’t directly treat physical pain, but they improve mood and sleep, and that helps reduce “pain perception.”

“In treating patients with PDN, it is important to assess other factors that may also affect pain perception and quality of life. Patients with diabetes are more likely to have mood disorders (most commonly, major depression) and sleep disorders (especially obstructive sleep apnea) than the general population,” an AAN panel of experts found. “Therefore, treating concurrent mood and sleep disorders may help reduce pain and improve quality of life, apart from any direct treatment of the painful neuropathy.”

Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes and about half have some form of neuropathy, according to the American Diabetes Association. PDN causes nerves to send out abnormal signals, causing patients to feel stinging or burning pain, as well as loss of feeling in their toes, feet, legs, hands and arms. More severe cases can result in ulcers or amputation of the affected limbs.

The last update to the AAN guideline was in 2011, when opioids such as morphine and oxycodone were said to be “probably effective and should be considered.” Much has changed over the last decade, and the AAN no longer supports their use for PDN.

"Current evidence suggests that the risks of the use of opioids for painful diabetic neuropathy therapy outweigh the benefits, so they should not be prescribed," said lead author Brian Callaghan, MD, an associate professor of neurology at University of Michigan Health.

‘Probably’ Better Than Placebo

The only oral medications the AAN now recommends for PDN are gabapentinoids (pregabalin and gabapentin); serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as duloxetine; tricyclic anti-depressants such as amitriptyline; and sodium channel blockers such as valproic acid, which are usually used to treat seizures. An SNRI can also be combined with a weak opioid like tramadol for PDN.

There are caveats to all of these drugs since the evidence for them is limited and they were originally developed for other conditions such as depression or epilepsy. For example, the guidelines state gabapentin is “probably more likely than placebo to improve pain” and pregabalin is “possibly more likely” to help with PDN.

Topical medications such as capsaicin and buprenorphine patches also get the lukewarm endorsement of “possibly” being better than a placebo.

When one class of medication doesn’t work for PDN, experts say patients should try another.

“Managing expectations is also important,” Callaghan said. “Our second recommendation urges the provider to be frank with patients that the goal is to reduce their pain. It may not be possible to completely resolve the symptoms.”

A 2017 study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that duloxetine (Cymbalta) and some other anti-depressants are moderately effective at relieving PDN, but found little or no evidence that opioids and gabapentinoids are helpful in treating neuropathic pain.

Researchers say a significant limitation for all pain relievers – not just opioids – is that few studies examine their safety and efficacy longer than three months. PDN is a progressive disorder that is likely to last a lifetime.  

“Given the chronicity of pain in those with diabetic neuropathy and the potential for evolving side effects, long-term studies are needed to better inform the long-term pain management in this population. Specifically, future studies should focus on the long-term effects (positive and negative) of opioids in this population to determine whether there is any role for these medications in this population,” the AAN’s expert panel concluded.

Gabapentinoids Riskier for Surgery Patients

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Another study is casting doubt on the use of gabapentinoids such as Lyrica (pregabalin) and Neurontin (gabapentin) for pain relief during and after surgery.

Gabapentioids are a class of nerve medication originally developed to treat convulsions, but the drugs are increasingly being used as a trendy alternative to opioids for acute and chronic pain. Some U.S. hospitals are even using gabapentinoids for surgical pain and have phased out or reduced the use of opioids.

In an analysis of over 5 million adults admitted for major surgery in the U.S. from 2007 to 2017, researchers at Harvard Medical School found that using gabapentinoids with opioids increases the risk of overdose, respiratory depression and other adverse events. Researchers say the additional risk was “extremely low” and would result in one additional overdose for every 16,000 patients.

“Our findings add to the growing evidence that gabapentinoids can potentiate the respiratory depressant effects of opioids,” researchers reported in JAMA Network Open. “The events were rare… (but) patients receiving multimodal pain management therapy that includes gabapentinoids should be closely monitored for possible respiratory depression.”

The study did not examine whether gabapentiniods were effective in treating surgical pain or if they improved the analgesic effect of opioids.

In an editorial also published in JAMA Network Open, a pain management expert said more studies were needed to see if gabapentiniods were worth the additional risk.

“The evidence in support of the analgesic benefit of gabapentinoids combined with opioids for postoperative analgesia is equivocal; there is no real support that adding gabapentinoids to opioid pain relievers offers additive, much less synergistic, enhancements to pain control,” wrote Joseph Pergolizzi, Jr, MD, Chief Operating Officer of NEMA Research.  

“Considering that combination analgesic regimens generally reduce overall opioid consumption, this study is important because it shows that this may not necessarily translate to reducing opioid-associated adverse events. As combination analgesia gains traction for in-hospital acute painful conditions, such as postsurgical pain, it is important to be guided by evidence rather than intuition.”

No Significant Analgesic Effect

A recent study by Canadian researchers also found little evidence to support the use of gabapentinoids for surgical pain.

“No clinically significant analgesic effect for the perioperative use of gabapentinoids was observed. There was also no effect on the prevention of postoperative chronic pain and a greater risk of adverse events,” wrote lead author Michael Verret, MD, a resident at Laval University in Quebec City.  

These and other findings contradict guidelines published by the American Pain Society in 2016, which advocate “around the clock” use of gabapentin, pregabalin and other non-opioid drugs both before and after surgery.

The risk of becoming addicted or dependent on opioids after surgery is actually quite low. A 2016 study found that only 0.4% of elderly patients who were prescribed opioids for post-operative pain were still using them a year after their surgeries. Another study by Harvard researchers found that only 0.2% of surgery patients prescribed opioids were later diagnosed with opioid dependence, abuse or a non-fatal overdose.

Gabapentinoids Involved in a Third of Overdoses in Scotland

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

A new study in Scotland is shining more light on the risks of overprescribing gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica). The two drugs belong to a class of nerve medication called gabapentinoids, which are increasingly prescribed in Western nations to treat chronic pain.

In 2018, there were 1,187 accidental drug-related deaths (DRDs) in Scotland – the highest overdose rate in the European Union — and gabapentinoids were involved in about a third of them.

According to research published in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, gabapentin was implicated in 15.2% of fatal overdoses in Scotland, while pregabalin was linked to 16.5% of drug deaths. That’s up from 3% and 1% of fatal overdoses, respectively, in 2012.

Researchers say deaths involving gabapentinoids are rising because they are frequently co-prescribed with opioids and other medications that depress the central nervous system and raise the risk of overdose. Drug diversion also plays a role.

“Gabapentinoid prescribing has increased dramatically since 2006, as have dangerous co-prescribing and death. Older people, women, and those living in deprived areas were particularly likely to receive prescriptions. Their contribution to DRDs may be more related to illegal use with diversion of prescribed medication,” wrote lead author Nicola Torrance, PhD, Senior Research Fellow at the School of Nursing & Midwifery, Robert Gordon University, in Aberdeen, Scotland.

From 2006 to 2016, the number of pregabalin prescriptions in Scotland rose by an astounding 1,600 percent, while prescriptions for gabapentin quadrupled. About 60% of the time, gabapentin was co-prescribed with an opioid, benzodiazepines or both.  

Gabapentinoids are also showing up in Scotland’s illicit drug supply. Drug users have found they can heighten the effects of heroin, marijuana, cocaine and other substances. In the Scottish region of Tayside, gabapentinoids were involved in 39% of drug deaths. About three out of four of those overdose victims did not have a prescription for the drug.

In addition to overdoses, gabapentinoids have also been associated with increased risk of suicidal behavior, accidental injuries, traffic accidents and violent crime. UK health officials were so alarmed by misuse of the drugs and the rising number of deaths that gabapentin and pregabalin were reclassified as controlled substances in 2019.

Gabapentin is not currently scheduled as a federally controlled substance in the United States, but pregabalin is classified as a Schedule V controlled substance, meaning it has low potential for addiction and abuse.  

A 2019 clinical review found little evidence that gabapentinoids should be used off-label to treat pain and that prescribing guidelines often exaggerate their effectiveness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also recently warned that serious breathing problems can occur in patients who take gabapentin or pregabalin with opioids or other drugs that depress the central nervous system.

Gabapentinoids Ineffective for Pain Relief After Surgery

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Would you want to take Lyrica (pregabalin) or Neurontin (gabapentin) for pain relief after a major surgery? Both drugs belong to a class of nerve medication called gabapentinoids that are increasingly being prescribed to patients perioperatively (after surgery) as an alternative to opioid medication.

But gabapentinoids also have risks and there is little evidence to support their use for postoperative pain relief, according to a large new study by a team of Canadian researchers.  

“No clinically significant analgesic effect for the perioperative use of gabapentinoids was observed. There was also no effect on the prevention of postoperative chronic pain and a greater risk of adverse events. These results do not support the routine use of pregabalin or gabapentin for the management of postoperative pain in adult patients,” wrote lead author Michael Verret, MD, a resident at Laval University in Quebec City.  

Verret and his colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of 281 clinical trials involving nearly 25,000 patients undergoing a wide range of surgeries, including orthopedic, spinal and abdominal operations.

Their findings, recently published in the journal Anesthesiology, indicate that the analgesic benefits of pregabalin and gabapentin after surgery are negligible, regardless of the dose or type of operation. Gabapentinoids were also ineffective in preventing chronic pain from developing after surgery, one of the primary justifications for using the drugs postoperatively.

“Gabapentinoids were also associated with a greater incidence of adverse events, namely dizziness and visual disturbance, while other major adverse events such as respiratory depression and addiction are not reported or are underreported,” said Verret.

The findings contradict guidelines published by the American Pain Society (APS) in 2016,  which advocate “around the clock” use of gabapentin, pregabalin and other nonopioid drugs both before and after surgery.

“The panel recommends use of gabapentin or pregabalin as part of a multimodal regimen in patients who undergo surgery. Both medications are associated with reduced opioid requirements after major or minor surgical procedures, and some studies reported lower postoperative pain scores,” the APS guideline states.

“The panel suggests that clinicians consider a preoperative dose of gabapentin or pregabalin, particularly in patients who undergo major surgery or other surgeries associated with substantial pain, or as part of multimodal therapy for highly opioid-tolerant patients.”

‘Evidence of Harm’

Although opioid addiction is relatively rare after surgery, dozens of U.S. hospitals followed the lead of the APS and other medical guidelines by stopping the use of opioids for certain surgeries.

Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital, for example, adopted a policy of only using gabapentin and other non-opioid analgesics for colorectal operations.

“It is now clear that over the past two decades, evidence of benefit from routine perioperative administration of gabapentinoids has diminished, while evidence of harm has increased.”

— Dr. Evan Kharasch

Critics say gabapentinoids have become a trendy alternative for post-surgical pain relief, even though evidence supporting their use is minimal.

“It is now clear that over the past two decades, evidence of benefit from routine perioperative administration of gabapentinoids has diminished, while evidence of harm has increased. If any potential benefits exist in ‘special populations,’ published reports have yet to identify the benefits or the populations,” lead author Evan Kharasch, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Anesthesiology, wrote in an editorial.

“The good intentions that led to routine gabapentinoid use should be redirected to lead the way out. The French Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine now states that gabapentinoids should not be used systematically or in outpatient surgery. Other societies should follow. As the weight of evidence has shifted and the risk–benefit balance tilted away from benefit, evidence-based practice impels revising if not eliminating the routine use of perioperative gabapentinoids in adults.”

It's too late for the APS to change its guideline. The organization filed for bankruptcy in 2019, ironically because of the high cost of legal fees in defending itself against opioid litigation.

While the CDC’s controversial opioid guideline does not advocate using gabapentinoids for post-surgical pain, it does recommend their use in treating chronic pain -- with little to no mention of their side effects.

One of the co-authors of the CDC guideline, Dr. Roger Chou, also played a significant role in drafting the APS guideline. Chou is currently heading much of the research being conducted by the CDC as it prepares to update and possibly expand its 2016 guideline.

FDA Warns of Serious Breathing Problems Caused by Gabapentinoids

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that serious breathing problems can occur in patients who use gabapentin or pregabalin with opioids or other drugs that depress the central nervous system. The elderly and patients with lung problems are at higher risk when they use the drugs, according to an FDA drug safety communication.

The advisory is the latest in a series of warnings about gabapentinoids, a class of nerve medication increasingly prescribed as an alternative to opioid painkillers. There are growing reports of gabapentinoids being abused or raising the risk of overdose and suicide.

“Reports of gabapentinoid abuse alone, and with opioids, have emerged and there are serious consequences of this co-use, including respiratory depression and increased risk of opioid overdose death,” Douglas Throckmorton, MD, deputy director for Regulatory Programs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

“In response to these concerns, we are requiring updates to labeling of gabapentinoids to include new warnings of potential respiratory depressant effects. We are also requiring the drug manufacturers to conduct clinical trials to further evaluate the abuse potential of gabapentinoids, particularly in combination with opioids, with special attention being given to assessing the respiratory depressant effects.”

Gabapentinoid products include gabapentin, which is marketed under the brand name Neurontin, and pregabalin, which is marketed as Lyrica. Generic versions of the drugs are also available.

Gabapentinoids were originally developed to prevent seizures, but their use has tripled over the past 15 years. The drugs are approved to treat a variety of chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia, neuropathy and shingles. They are also widely prescribed off-label.

According to the FDA, over 13 million people filled a prescription for gabapentin in 2016, while over 2 million patients were prescribed pregabalin. Nearly one in five of those patients were also taking opioids.

“Pairing an opioid with any CNS depressant – a gabapentinoid, benzodiazepine, sedating antidepressant, sedating antipsychotic, antihistamine, or other product – will increase the risk of respiratory depression. Shifting treatment from one CNS depressant to another may pose similar risks,” the FDA said.

A Dozen Deaths

The agency said it received 49 case reports of serious breathing problems in patients taking gabapentinoids, including 12 people who died from respiratory depression. It’s advising doctors, caregivers and patients taking gabapentinoids to be alert for signs of confusion, disorientation, dizziness, sleepiness, slow or shallow breathing, unresponsiveness, or bluish-colored lips, fingers and toes.

A 2018 study by Australian researchers found that gabapentinoids often had side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness and nausea. Another study found that combining gabapentin with opioids significantly raises the risk of dying from an overdose. And a recent analysis of calls to U.S. poison control centers found a significant increase in suicide attempts involving gabapentin.

There have also been increasing reports of gabapentin and pregabalin being abused by illicit drug users, who have learned they can use the medications to heighten the high from heroin, marijuana, cocaine and other substances.

A recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found little evidence that gabapentinoids should be used off-label to treat pain and said their effectiveness was often exaggerated by prescribing guidelines. The CDC’s 2016 opioid guideline recommends gabapentin and pregabalin dozens of times as alternatives to opioids, without saying a word about their abuse or side effects.

“Our goal in issuing today’s new safety labeling change requirements is to ensure health care professionals and the public understand the risks associated with gabapentinoids when taken with central nervous system depressants like opioids or by patients with underlying respiratory impairment. However, we do not want to unintentionally increase opioid use by turning prescribers away from this class of pain medications,” Throckmorton said.

One in Four Adults in England Take Addictive Meds

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Nearly 12 million people – about one in four adults in England -- are taking addictive prescription drugs to treat depression, anxiety, insomnia or chronic pain, according to a new review by Public Health England (PHE).

The review takes a cautionary view on the use of five drug classes – opioids, antidepressants, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids, and so-called “z-drugs” such as zolpidem, zopiclone and zaleplon.

“The medicines we looked at help to make millions of people every year feel better and recover from their illness. Doctors can prescribe them because there is good evidence that they work, but they do have some risks,” the PHE report found.

Benzodiazepines, z-drugs, opioids and gabapentinoids are associated with dependence and withdrawal, while there’s a risk of withdrawal with antidepressants. When the drugs are taken in combination or in high doses, there is also risk of respiratory depression and overdose.  

About half the patients prescribed the drugs in England had been taking them for at least a year — a sign of dependence. But the report cautions doctors not to abruptly discontinue the drugs and to taper them gradually, if at all.

“There is a view that a sub-population of chronic pain patients can be prescribed long-term opioids at relatively stable doses so that their analgesia and functioning can be maintained with good adherence and tolerable side-effects,” the report found.

“We do not want to put anyone off safely using medicines that could help them. Stopping or limiting the use of medicines could also cause harm, including increasing the risk of suicide or making people try to get medicines or illegal alternatives from less safe sources, such as illegal websites or drug dealers.”

Increasing Use of Antidepressants and Gabapentinoids

Antidepressants were prescribed to about 7.3 million people in England or 17% of the adult population. Opioids were prescribed to 5.6 million patients, followed by gabapentinoids (1.5 million), benzodiazepines (1.4 million) and z-drugs (1 million). Prescriptions for opioids, benzodiazepines and z-drugs are dropping, while the use of antidepressants and gabapentinoids is growing. 

Gabapentinoids such as pregabalin (Lyrica) and gabapentin (Neurontin) were originally developed to treat epilepsy, but the drugs are increasingly prescribed in the UK to treat neuropathy and other types of chronic pain. PHE researchers found only marginal evidence that they are effective for pain and alarming signs that they are being misused. 

“Gabapentinoids have come to be used for a wider range of indications than is supported by the evidence or their licensing, and they have sometimes been prescribed in place of opioids or benzodiazepines in the likely-mistaken belief that they are less liable to misuse or dependence, and lack of awareness of the withdrawal problems that can arise when prescribing is stopped,” the report said. 

Prescriptions for opioids and gabapentinoids were 1.6 times higher in parts of England with more poverty. People in poor areas are also more likely to be prescribed medicines for longer periods. Prescription rates for women are about 1.5 times higher than for men. Prescription rates also increased with age.

Are You Paying Too Much for Pregabalin?

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

It didn’t take long for cheaper generic versions of pregabalin to take a bite out of Pfizer’s monopoly of Lyrica, a drug widely used to treat fibromyalgia, diabetic neuropathy and other types of chronic pain.

Last month the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave approval to rival drug makers to begin selling generic pregabalin after Pfizer’s patent on Lyrica expired. According to FiercePharma, Pfizer lost about a third of the market for pregabalin to 16 competitors by the end of July.  

It’s not hard to see why. According to Healthcare Bluebook, a 60-day supply of 75mg Lyrica sells for a “fair price” of $472. That compares to generic versions that sell for about $28.

“The price that most patients pay is set by insurers. The cost difference for patients between brand-name Lyrica and generic pregabalin may vary depending on the patients’ insurance plan, the state in which their prescription is filled, or the pharmacy where they pick up their prescription,” said Steven Danehy, a Pfizer spokesman.

As of August 9, Lyrica still had about 43% of the market for pregabalin, but that’s likely to change as patients, doctors and insurers became more aware of the significant difference in price.

Pregabalin is approved by the FDA for the treatment of pain associated with shingles, spinal cord injury, fibromyalgia, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. It is also commonly prescribed "off label" for other types of chronic pain.

Pregabalin is a Schedule V controlled substance, which means it has a low potential for abuse. In recent years, however, there is growing concern that pregabalin and its sister drug gabapentin (Neurontin) are being abused and overprescribed.

The drugs, which belong to a class of nerve medication called gabapentinoids, were originally developed to treat epilepsy, not pain. Prescriptions for gabapentinoids have tripled over the past 15 years as more doctors prescribed them as “safer” alternatives to opioids.

Deaths involving gabapentinoids have increased in the UK, Australia and Canada, where some addicts have learned the drugs can heighten the euphoric effect of heroin and other opioids. The drugs were recently classified as controlled substances in the UK.

Drug Maker Payments May Influence Gabapentinoid Prescribing

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

There is growing attention being paid to doctors who accept money from pharmaceutical companies. A recent study, for example, found that doctors who receive direct payments from opioid manufacturers tend to prescribe more opioid medication than doctors who receive no such payments.

But another new study shows the same is true for doctors who prescribe an expensive class of non-opioid drugs that are widely used “off label” to treat chronic pain.

Researchers at Yale University and the University of Connecticut looked at Medicare Part D prescribing data for gabapentinoids from 2014 to 2016, comparing it with payments made to doctors from gabapentin manufacturers. Over the study period, about 51,000 physicians received $11.5 million from the drug makers, mostly for meals, beverages and gifts.

The researchers found that doctors who received the payments were more likely to prescribe a brand name gabapentinoid such as Lyrica (Pfizer), Gralise (Assertio) or Horizant (Arbor). These brand name drugs cost several hundred dollars for a one-month supply, compared to less than $20 for a one-month supply of a generic version. 

“Among physicians who prescribed gabapentinoids, receipt of payments from industry was associated with a higher likelihood of prescribing brand-name products than generic gabapentin,” researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine.

“Our findings raise concerns about the reasons some physicians prescribe brand-name gabapentinoids and not less-expensive generic alternatives.”

Generic drugs are generally just as effective as brand name drugs, but the differences in cost can be significant. For a Medicare beneficiary in 2016, about $2,500 a year was spent on a brand name gabapentin vs. just $89 for a generic version of the same drug.

“All of these studies have essentially the same finding -- that marketing to physicians is associated with increased sales of a company’s product and increased Medicare expenditures,” Robert Steinbrook, MD, UC San Francisco School of Medicine, wrote in a JAMA editorial.

“Association studies do not establish cause and effect, they do not account for other influences on prescribing, such as direct-to-consumer advertising, and they do not assess the appropriateness of prescriptions for individual patients. Nonetheless, the pattern is indisputable.”

Does your doctor accept industry payments? You can see for yourself on Medicare’s Open Payments database.

In addition to the costs involved, there is growing awareness that gabapentinoids are over-prescribed and not as effective for some chronic pain conditions.

The drugs were originally developed to prevent epileptic seizures, but their use has tripled over the past 15 years as more doctors prescribed them off label for a wide variety of pain conditions.

“Our findings raise concerns about the reasons some physicians prescribe brand-name gabapentinoids and not less-expensive generic alternatives.”

— JAMA Internal Medicine study

“Gabapentinoids have become frequent first-line alternatives in patients with chronic pain from whom opioids are being withheld or withdrawn, as well as in patients with acute pain who traditionally received short courses of low-dose opioid,” wrote Christopher Goodman, MD, and Allan Brett, MD, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, in a recent clinical review in JAMA Internal Medicine.

“The evidence to support off-label gabapentinoid use for most painful clinical conditions is limited. For some conditions, no well-performed controlled trials exist.”

Goodman and Brett said the 2016 CDC opioid guideline reinforces “an inflated view of gabapentinoid effectiveness” by asserting they are “first-line drugs” for neuropathic pain. Many patients who take gabapetinoids have side-effects such as dizziness or drowsiness, and there are increasing reports that the drugs are being abused and sold on the street.   

Gabapentinoids Raise Risk of Suicide and Overdose in Younger People

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Gabapentinoids – a class of nerve medication widely prescribed to treat chronic pain – increase the risk of suicide, overdose, traffic accidents and head or body injuries in younger people, according to a large new study published in The British Medical Journal.

Sales of the two main gabapentinoids, pregabalin (Lyrica) and gabapentin (Neurontin), have tripled in recent years in the United States, where they are often promoted in prescribing guidelines as safer alternatives to opioids.

A team of researchers followed nearly 192,000 people enrolled in the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register who filled prescriptions for gabapentinoids on at least two consecutive occasions from 2006 to 2013. That information was compared to data in the Swedish Patient Register, which collects information on hospital admissions and outpatient care, as well as the Swedish Cause of Death Register.

Over the study period, researchers found that patients taking gabapentinoids had higher rates of suicide or suicidal behavior (5.2%), unintentional overdose (8.9%), traffic accidents (6.3%) and head or body injuries (36.7%) than the general population.

The risks were strongest for people who were prescribed pregabalin and were most pronounced among adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 24.  Patients aged 55 and older taking gabapentinoids were not at greater risk.

Researchers believe the drugs may have more impact on younger people because they have faster metabolisms, which could lead to withdrawal problems that affect their impulsivity and emotions.

“Overall, gabapentinoids seem to be safe for a range of outcomes in older people. However, the increased risks found in adolescents and young adults prescribed gabapentinoids, particularly for suicidal behaviour and unintentional overdoses, warrant further research,” said lead author Seena Fazel, MD, of the University of Oxford in England.

“If our findings are triangulated with other forms of evidence, clinical guidelines may need review regarding prescriptions for young people, and those with substance use disorders. Further restrictions for off-label prescription may need consideration.”

Pregabalin is approved by the FDA to treat diabetic nerve pain, fibromyalgia, post-herpetic neuralgia caused by shingles and spinal cord injuries; while gabapentin is approved for epilepsy and post-herpetic neuralgia. Both drugs are also widely prescribed off-label to treat back pain, depression, migraine and other chronic conditions.

Gabapentinoids are increasingly being used recreationally by addicts who have found the medications enhance the effects of heroin and other opioids. The drugs were recently classified as controlled substances in the UK.

Gabapentin is not currently scheduled as a controlled substance by the DEA, while Lyrica is classified as a Schedule V controlled substance, meaning it has low potential for addiction and abuse.  

A recent clinical review found little evidence the drugs should be used off-label to treat pain and that prescribing guidelines often exaggerate their effectiveness. The CDC’s controversial opioid guideline, for example, calls gabapentin and pregabalin “first-line drugs” for neuropathic pain.

“Despite documentation that these drugs were promoted improperly for off-label treatment of pain, the recent rapid increase in prescribing of gabapentinoids suggests a persisting sense among clinicians that gabapentinoids are highly effective pain medications,” wrote Christopher Goodman, MD, and Allan Brett, MD, of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

“Guidelines and review articles have contributed to this perception by often uncritical extrapolation from FDA-approved indications to off-label use.”

Doctors Say Guidelines Exaggerate Effectiveness of Lyrica and Neurontin

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

There is little evidence that gabapentin (Neurontin) and pregabalin (Lyrica) should be used off-label to treat pain and prescribing guidelines often exaggerate their effectiveness, according to a new clinical review in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Gabapentin and pregabalin belong to a class of nerve medication known as gabapentinoids. The drugs were originally developed to prevent seizures, but their use has tripled over the past 15 years as more doctors prescribed them for a variety of chronic pain conditions. It is a common practice for doctors to prescribe drugs “off label” for treatments that are not FDA-approved.

“Gabapentinoids have become frequent first-line alternatives in patients with chronic pain from whom opioids are being withheld or withdrawn, as well as in patients with acute pain who traditionally received short courses of low-dose opioid,” wrote Christopher Goodman, MD, and Allan Brett, MD, of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine.

“The evidence to support off-label gabapentinoid use for most painful clinical conditions is limited. For some conditions, no well-performed controlled trials exist.”

Gabapentin is only approved by the FDA to treat epilepsy and neuropathic pain caused by shingles, but it is prescribed off label to treat depression, ADHD, migraine, fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder.  Pregabalin is approved by the FDA to treat diabetic nerve pain, fibromyalgia, post-herpetic neuralgia caused by shingles and spinal cord injuries, but it is also widely prescribed off-label to treat other types of pain.

The drugs are sold by Pfizer under the brand names Lyrica and Neurontin. The company has paid nearly $1 billion in fines for misleading and improper marketing of the drugs for off-label use.

“Despite documentation that these drugs were promoted improperly for off-label treatment of pain, the recent rapid increase in prescribing of gabapentinoids suggests a persisting sense among clinicians that gabapentinoids are highly effective pain medications,” the doctors wrote.

“Guidelines and review articles have contributed to this perception by often uncritical extrapolation from FDA-approved indications to off-label use.”

Goodman and Brett say the wording in many medical guidelines “reinforces an inflated view of gabapentinoid effectiveness” by falsely claiming the drugs should be used to treat all types of nerve pain.

“Another example is the 2016 guideline on opioid prescribing from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states broadly that gabapentin and pregabalin are first-line drugs for neuropathic pain, without further detail or specification,” they wrote. “Even for treatment of diabetic neuropathy (for which pregabalin is FDA approved and gabapentin is off-label), guideline conclusions tend to exaggerate effectiveness.”

Many patients who take gabapetinoids have side-effects such as dizziness or drowsiness, and there are an increasing number of reports that the drugs are being abused and sold on the street.   

Goodman and Brett have sounded the alarm before about the drugs, warning in a 2017 commentary in the The New England Journal of Medicine that “gabapentinoids are being prescribed excessively.”

They say doctors should do a better job warning patients about the side effects of gabapentinoids and the drugs should be stopped if a patient reports little or no benefit.  They also think medical guidelines should be revised to stop the promotion of gabapentinoids for any pain labeled as neuropathic.

Risky Combination: Opioids and Gabapentin

By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Opioid medication significantly reduces low back pain, but opioids should not be used in combination with gabapentin (Neurontin) because of their limited effectiveness and potential for abuse, according to the authors of a small new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

"In these days, when we are focusing on reduction of opioids due to opioid crisis in the U.S., gabapentin could be an important part of multimodal non-opioid pain management," N. Nick Knezevic, MD, of the University of Illinois in Chicago told MedPage Today. "However, it should not be given to all patients since the effectiveness in chronic pain patients, particularly in those with low back pain, is limited."

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In a retrospective study, Knezevic and his colleagues looked at 156 patients with low back pain; half of whom were treated with opioids alone and the other half with a combination of opioids and gabapentin.

“According to our study, the combination of gabapentin with opioids was not statistically superior in providing pain relief, in contrast to opioids alone, in patients with chronic pain. Our results are in line with recent guidelines for low back pain treatment that reflect the need to assess the recommendation of gabapentinoids for chronic pain in patients already taking opiods to mitigate risk factors of abuse and overdose,” researchers found.

Gabapentin is an anticonvulsant that was originally developed as a treatment for epilepsy, but is now widely prescribed for a variety of chronic pain conditions. Its use in primary care as a treatment for chronic back and neck pain has risen by 535% in the last decade, despite little evidence of its effectiveness.

"The fact that anticonvulsants are often advertised to be effective for 'nerve pain' may mislead the prescriber to assume efficacy for low back pain or sciatica," Oliver Enke, MD, of the University of Sydney, told MedPage.

A 2018 study by Australian researchers found that gabapentinoids did not reduce back pain or disability and often had side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness and nausea. Another recent study found that combining gabapentin with opioid medication significantly raises the risk of dying from an overdose than opioid use alone.

There have been increasing reports of gabapentin being abused by drug addicts, who have learned they can use the medications to heighten the high from heroin, marijuana, cocaine and other substances.

The CDC’s opioid prescribing guideline recommends gabapentin as a safer alternative to opioids, without saying a word about its potential for abuse or side effects.

A 2017 commentary in the The New England Journal of Medicine warned that gabapentinoids -- a class of nerve medication that includes both gabapentin and pregabalin (Lyrica) -- are being overprescribed.

"We believe… that gabapentinoids are being prescribed excessively — partly in response to the opioid epidemic,” wrote Christopher Goodman, MD, and Allan Brett, MD. “We suspect that clinicians who are desperate for alternatives to opioids have lowered their threshold for prescribing gabapentinoids to patients with various types of acute, subacute, and chronic noncancer pain."

Lyrica Not Effective for Treating Traumatic Nerve Pain

By Pat Anson, Editor

Pregabalin is not effective in relieving chronic pain caused by traumatic nerve injury, but it may be useful as an analgesic in treating pain after surgery, according to a new study published in the Journal of Neurology.

The placebo-controlled study followed 539 patients in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia for three months. About half had nerve pain after surgery, while the rest had nerve pain after an accident or trauma.

Researchers found that pregabalin was not an effective pain reliever for the patients with traumatic nerve injuries, but the drug did provide better pain relief than placebo for the surgery patients.

"While these finding show that pregabalin is not effective in controlling the long-term pain for traumatic injury, it may provide relief for patients (that) experience post-surgical pain," said lead author John Markman, MD, director of the Translational Pain Research Program in the University of Rochester Department of Neurosurgery.

"The possibility that there was pain relief for those patients who had a hernia repair, or breast surgery for cancer, or a joint replacement lays the groundwork for future studies in these post-surgical syndromes where there is so much need for non-opioid treatments."

Pregabalin, which is sold by Pfizer under the brand name Lyrica, is FDA-approved for the treatment of chronic pain associated with shingles, spinal cord injury, fibromyalgia, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

It is also commonly prescribed as an "off label" treatment for other types of chronic pain and as an alternative to opioid medication.

A major challenge for doctors is that biological changes in nerves and other tissues while healing from surgery or trauma vary from one patient to the next. There is also no diagnostic method that allows doctors to identify which patients will respond to a particular type of pain treatment.

"Given the rising rates of surgery and shrinking reliance on opioids, it is critical that we understand how to study new drugs that work differently in patients like the ones included in this study," Markman added.

While critics often say there is little or no evidence to support the long-term use of opioids, the same is true for other types of pain medication, including pregabalin. Nevertheless, in its guideline for opioids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends pregabalin and its chemical cousin gabapentin as alternatives for treating chronic pain – without even mentioning their side effects or potential for abuse.

Pregabalin and gabapentin belong to a class of nerve medication called gabapentinoids, which were originally developed to treat epilepsy, not pain. In recent, deaths involving gabapentinoids have increased in the UK, Australia and Canada, where some addicts have learned the drugs can heighten the euphoric effect of heroin and other opioids.

The use of pregabalin and gabapentin has tripled in the U.S. over the past decade, but health officials have only recently started looking into their misuse and abuse. While gabapentin has a warning label cautioning users who take the drug with opioids, there is no similar warning for pregabalin.