Rapid rise in prescriptions for ‘new Valium’ drugs is worrying experts

A RAPID rise in prescriptions for a drug dubbed the “new Valium” is causing alarm among experts.

Gabapentin, which is a form of gabapentinoid (GABA) drug, can be addictive and cause withdrawal symptoms in patients when they stop taking them.

GABA drugs are a group of medicines designed to treat epilepsy but are becoming increasingly common for pain as they work on a receptor thought to be key in sending pain signals to the brain.

Over the past ten years the use of gabapentin in the UK has increased five-fold from one million in 2006 to 6.5 million in 2016, according to the

The use of another GABA drug, pregabalin, used to treat anxiety, rose ten-fold to 5.5 million in 2016.

New figures from the Public Health Research Consortium (PHRC), funded by the Department for Health, show about 1.3 million Brits now take GABA drugs.

Prescriptions for GABA drugs have increased from 0.2 per cent of patients in 2000 to 2.1 per cent in 2015.

According to the PHRC the increase in GABA drug use is “probably due to their use for pain”.

They are now commonly prescribed for nerve pain including diabetic neuropathy, shingles pain and severe facial pain and sometimes pain they are not licensed to treat such as back pain and arthritis.

Several studies have concluded that there is no evidence to suggest the drugs treat painful conditions like chronic back pain and fibromyalgia – a long term condition that causes pain all over the body.

Doctors have been prescribing the drugs to patients because they were thought to be non-addictive, unlike benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium) and opiod painkillers, but it is now becoming apparent that that is not the case.

The increasing number of patients prescribed GABA drugs may suffer crippling side effects like stomach pain, muscle weakness, dizziness, unusual bleeding and even suicidal thoughts, and even worse withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking them.

Official figures show that in England and Wales the number of deaths linked to GABA drug, pregabalin rose from four in 2012 to 111 in 2016, according to the BMJ.

The number linked to gabapentin rose from eight to 59 in the same period.

Last year the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs wrote a letter to the Government calling for pregabalin and gabapentin to be reclassified as class C drugs in response to the growing number of deaths.

The Home Office accepted the council’s advice in September, subject to public consultation.

Rachel Hancock, 44, was prescribed gabapentin 18 months ago to treat her hip pain after tramadol, an opiate pain killer, failed to bring her any relief.

The former catering assistant said her initial dose of 300mg four times a day didn’t help her pain and instead left her feeling like she had been “run over by a bus” and unable to sleep.

“It felt as if I was drunk. I was so unsteady on my feet that I couldn’t leave the house,” she told the Mail.

“I became forgetful, with constant mental fogginess and a sense of unreality. I also had migraines, which I have never had before.”

But after trying to cut out just one pill a day Rachel said her withdrawals were “absolutely horrendous” and included sickness, shakes, insomnia, headaches and constant nausea.

She has now managed to cut herself down to two 300mg pills a day but said she wishes she had never been prescribed it.

Des Spence, a Glascow GP who has raised concerns about GABA drugs fears we are not learning from past mistakes with other addictive drugs like Valium.

“Patients were told these pills were safe and non-addictive, but the reality is they may turn out to be potentially just as dangerous as opioids and benzos,” he said.

Rachel Britton, lead pharmacist for addiction charity, Addaction, warned that the drugs could even lead to fatal overdoses in people with a history of drug misuse.

“The risk of addiction and overdose related to these two prescription drugs hasn’t been made clear enough, particularly where they are prescribed to people with a history of substance misuse,” she told The Sun Online.

“The medicines can depress the central nervous system causing sedation and reduced breathing.

“So if someone is already taking substances that depress the central nervous system, including alcohol, opioids like heroin, or benzodiazepines like diazepam, they will be more prone to overdose.

“Prescribing of pregabalin and gabapentin needs to be done with the same caution as for benzodiazepines, including regular reviews to ensure patients are getting benefit in terms of their chronic pain, and ensuring that the medication is not being overused.

“Those taking pregabalin or gabapentin in line with professional medical advice are cautioned not to make any changes without first speaking to a healthcare professional.”

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