Pegavarin is prescribed to around 8 million Brits for conditions such as anxiety, epilepsy and nerve pain, but it’s causing people to become addicted to it.
Anti-anxiety drugs, taken by millions of Brits, have been linked to thousands of deaths over the past five years.
Pegabalin is prescribed by doctors to about 8 million people for conditions such as anxiety, epilepsy, and nerve pain. Pregabalin, a class of drugs called gabapentinoids, was first approved in 2004 to treat epilepsy and then to treat neuropathic, or neuralgia. In the past decade, experts began prescribing it “off-label” for anxiety disorders.
However, several people have complained of becoming addicted to this game, claiming that it has caused mood swings, suicidal thoughts, and blurred vision.of email online It said there had been 3,400 deaths in the UK over the past five years, including that of Alex Zottam who died of an overdose.
He initially had his doctor prescribe it before canceling the order, which led him to buy it and other drugs online. His mother Michelle told the Sunday Times:
“It’s such a waste. If we continue without advising patients that they can become addicted, how many other lives will be affected?”
Author Miranda Levy previously told the Mirror about her experience taking pregablin when she suffered from insomnia following the breakup of her marriage. she said in 2020. “The other day I went out to dinner with an old friend. Around 9pm I started feeling nauseous and hot. Too early for food poisoning. Did I drink my (single) gin and tonic a little too early?
“I got up to go to the bathroom and was hit by a wave of dizziness. The moment I entered the cubicle, I thought I was going to feel sick. Maybe it was a bug? That’s when I… , I realized that this must be a withdrawal symptom from pregabalin.
“I was prescribed this ‘anti-anxiety’ drug by my psychiatrist about four years ago when I was suffering from severe insomnia due to the breakdown of my marriage. Although unheard of at the time, some experts are now calling it the “new Valium” due to the risk of dependence and withdrawal symptoms. I’ve been fine for a while, but I’ve been trying to stay off drugs for 9 months. ”
Some doctors have long warned about pregabalin. Dr Peter Gordon is a recently retired consultant psychiatrist from the Forth Valley in Scotland who has been writing about the problem of mood-altering drugs for several years. He said: “Pregabalin is still being prescribed for anxiety in the US despite the NHS being aware of its negative effects. At the time of its launch, there was extensive marketing from pharmaceutical companies to psychiatrists. was carried out.”
Glasgow GP Dr Des Spence also wrote about pregabalin in his Bad Medicine column in the British Medical Journal. In a 2013 column, he said: “There is growing evidence to show concern about the abuse of pregabalin and gabapentin. I am increasingly faced with drug-seeking behavior. Could seemingly harmless epilepsy drugs be being misused? ?”
*If you’re having trouble and would like to talk, Samaritans operates a free 24/7 helpline (116 123). You can also find your local branch by emailing [email protected] or visiting the Samaritans site.
