Published on
updated on
Reading 2 min.
Normally prescribed for neuropathic pain, pregabalin is regularly misused for its disinhibitory effects. In Nantes, a doctor allegedly prescribed hundreds of them… He was brought before the public prosecutor’s office on November 14.
Was a doctor behind pregabalin trafficking in France? In Nantes, a doctor was brought before the public prosecutor’s office on November 14, suspected of having issued 541 prescriptions for pregabalin to 106 patients. Problem: the treatment is regularly diverted for its disinhibiting effects. The figures and regularity of prescriptions questioned pharmacists.
Only eight patients had a medical record
Alerted, the authorities carried out a search of the practitioner’s office in mid-July. And they did not come out empty-handed: “Among the 106 patients who obtained a prescription, only eight had a medical record […]. Placed in police custody the same day, this doctor admitted the prescription of pregabalin was not of a medical nature.the prosecution told France 3 Pays-de-la-Loire.
The doctor has since been placed under judicial supervision and banned from practicing. He will appear in court in May 2025.
At two euros, pregabalin is also called “poor man’s drug”
Pregabalin, also known by the trade name Lyrica, is normally prescribed to treat generalized anxiety disorders, neuropathic pain, and even epilepsy. But it is also highly sought after for its high effects. The reason? Its price, much lower than morphine for example, especially since the drug has been “genericized” and made much more accessible.
Resellers and traffickers therefore offer pills for… two euros, much less than fentanyl or oxycodone. And resale would explode in France.
A prescription that remains too vague today
Asked about this danger, Professor Serge Perrot, head of department of the Pain Evaluation and Treatment Center at Cochin Hospital, already spoke to us last year about the questionable practices in the first place, on the medical side, which could have opened a (too) large number of prescriptions on this product:
“Pregabalin is an antiepileptic drug that can help relieve neuropathic pain. But the concept of neuropathic pain is not always well known to clinicians. And many people tend to prescribe it as soon as a patient suffers from atypical, a little strange, persistent pain.
The professional also recalled that this was also the case with bromazepam (rivotril), the prescription of which was limited to neurologists. “A certain number of doctors then fell back on pregabalin. he deciphers.
Since 2021, however, this treatment requires a secure prescription… which does not prevent trafficking.
But real dangers in case of overdose
Pregabalin is therefore diverted from its primary use for its “high” effects. But what are the risks in high doses? The first danger is, of course, dependence because its effects are comparable to those of opiates. But Professor Perrot spoke of mortal risks:
“The risks are those of any antiepileptic drug taken in too high a dose: pregabalin causes to varying degrees drowsiness, disorders of vigilance, disorders linked to loss of consciousness which can impact memory, be at “cause of falls, car accidents, or even resuscitation in the most serious cases”.
Still, banning this drug is not the solution: some patients who suffer really need it. “The answer is not necessarily to stop prescribing this medication, but rather to help with its proper use.” confided the professor.