Gabapentin and Pregabalin

THIS WEBPAGE IS ONLY INTENDED FOR PATIENTS OF STUBLEY MEDICAL CENTRE PRACTICE WHO HAVE BEEN SENT A LINK

Around 20 years ago a new class of drug that could be used for pain control became available for prescription in General Practice in the UK.

Two drugs in this class have become widely used across the world:  Gabapentin (Branded ‘Neurontin’) and Pregabalin (Branded ‘Lyrica’).

Originally used for the treatment of epilepsy this class of drug was found to have a use in the treatment of pain, especially nerve pain (‘neuralgia’).

As alternatives to Opiate drugs with known addictive potential and common unpleasant side effects, their use became gradually more widespread.

Over the decade to 2017 the prescribing of these drugs in the UK increased by around 300%

This is despite the fact that subsequent research shows that a placebo tablet is nearly as effective in many cases. (see here)

They were initially felt to have a safe side-effect profile but as time went on, and more patient experience could be studied, it was found that they too could have addictive properties, and interact with other medications to cause health problems in those taking them.

A year before the pandemic, in 2019 the Government reclassified the two drugs as controlled drugs which required more scrutiny on the part of doctors prescribing them. 

As part of the responsibility we have for issuing your medication we are keen to know that :

  1. You definitely need them.     

(research has shown that many patients taking them do not have a condition that is helped by them, and can manage as well without them),

and

  1. If you do need them that you are taking the minimum effective dose, to reduce side effects or addictive potential.

And

  1. You are taking the medication properly.

(ie. a fixed, regular dose, not varying from day to day)

For this reason we would like you to consider the dose that you are currently taking of either of these drugs and feedback to us whether you feel you may be able to adjust the dose downwards gradually so that you can achieve the minimum effective dose, or even come off them altogether.

DO NOT stop the medication suddenly as there is a risk of a withdrawal effect.

After sending you the link to this webpage, we will follow up with a short questionnaire, asking if you wish to try to reduce the dose. 

If you wish to do this we will support you in this with advice, tailored to your prescription, supervised by one of the doctors or one of our Clinical Pharmacy team.

Dr Davidson