Doctors in Dundee are prescribing a painkiller described as ‘dangerous’ more than their counterparts anywhere else in Scotland – putting locals at risk of dependency or even death.
New NHS figures show GPs in the city prescribe gabapentinoids – a relatively new class of drug used to treat epilepsy, anxiety and restless leg syndrome – almost 1.5 times as much as elsewhere in the country.
Dundonians are prescribed an average of 25.69 doses of the drugs per 1,000 registered patients every day. It has remained the consistently highest dispenser of the drugs since December 2016.
The Scottish average is 17.92 doses per day per 1,000 patients.
Drugs chiefs criminalised possession of the drug in its two most common forms, gabapentin and its more potent cousin, pregabalin, in April last year amid concerns they were being abused.
Gabapentinoids are known for producing feelings of euphoria, calmness and relaxation, similar to opioid drugs such as methadone, and the benzodiazapine Valium. However, overuse has been linked to dependency and, when mixed with other depressants such as heroin, can cause respiratory failure and even death.
Public Health England has branded pregabalin “dangerous” due to its potency in high doses. Both drugs are being linked to an ever-increasing number of drug-related deaths across Scotland.
Figures collected from death certificates suggest the number of deaths gabapentinoids are linked to has risen exponentially since 2008.
Research by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which makes recommendations on drug policy to the government, found prescriptions rose 250% for both drugs in the early 2010s.
In 2018, they were officially linked to 367 out of 1,187 drug deaths – just over a third. In Dundee alone the pills were directly implicated in 27 out of the city’s 66 deaths that year.
Experts believe they are being combined with opiates such as heroin to amplify their euphoric effects.
Dr Andrew Cowie says gabapentinoids have proven problematic in the long term.Dr Andrew Cowie, a Dundee-based GP and vice-chair of the Tayside Local Medical Committee, said gabapentinoids had initially been seen as a more viable alternative to drugs such as Valium – a perception that has now vanished.
He said: “Right now, it’s tricky. For every ten people who have a significant reduction in pain with these drugs and are able to do more and have a better quality of life there are probably one or two who are getting minimal benefit. And of course there will be individuals who are abusing them.”
A spokeswoman for the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership said efforts were ongoing to reduce the prescription of gabapentinoids.
She added: “We recognise that gabapentinoids are an area of concern and are pleased to see a decrease in prescribing rates in Dundee.
“Although we are seeing improvements in our prescribing rates, we will continue to work to reduce them.
“These medications have a useful role in chronic pain management and we need to ensure they are used appropriately. We have been undertaking an intense programme of reviewing patients who are on higher doses of gapapentinoids to ensure that they are being prescribed an appropriate mix of medications.
“It is important that patients are aware that medication is only one element of treating pain and we have been investing in social prescribing and other non medical approaches to pain management, such as physiotherapy.”