Prescription rates for gabapentinoids are rising in England. Pregabalin is currently recommended by NICE for the treatment of anxiety. Gabapentinoids have some overlap with the action of benzodiazepines, and have similar issues with tolerance, dependence, addiction and withdrawal. They were scheduled as class C controlled drugs in 2019 because of these risks. There were 244 deaths due to poisoning recorded by the ONS in 2019 involving pregabalin. Poisonings due to pregabalin usually involve concomitant use of opioids or other drugs. The rate of deaths involving pregabalin has been rising steeply for the last 10 years, and now exceeds those attributed to diazepam, fentanyl, the tricyclics as a group or SSRIs as a group. Evidence for the use of pregabalin in anxiety is derived from short-term trials, with marginal differences from placebo, which do not take into account the longer term effects of tolerance, dependence and withdrawal. We call on NICE to re-evaluate their support for use of pregabalin in anxiety in light of its known harms. The use of gabapentinoids off-label for other psychiatric conditions should also be re-considered. In general, psychotropic medications require longer term efficacy and safety studies before allowing widespread use.
Keywords: Anxiety; Gabapentin; Gabapentinoids; Pregabalin; Tolerance; Withdrawal.
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