Pregabalin Misuse Is Falling, New BMJ Research Finds

A study from Australia has found that misuse of pregabalin — a prescription medicine used to treat nerve pain, epilepsy, and anxiety — declined after two targeted interventions: public education about the drug’s risks, and stricter controls on how doctors can prescribe it. The BMJ, which published the findings, described the results as promising.

Pregabalin belongs to a class of drugs called gabapentinoids. While effective for certain conditions, the NHS has long flagged that these medicines carry a risk of dependence and misuse, above all among people who also use opioids or other substances.

The Australian findings matter beyond their country of origin. The BMJ noted that the research may help inform similar interventions elsewhere — a signal that health systems in other countries, including the UK, could look to this evidence when reviewing their own prescribing and public health approaches.

Pregabalin has been a controlled drug (Class C) in the UK since April 2019, meaning it requires a written prescription and cannot be routinely repeated without a GP review. That change followed concern from NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency about rising misuse and a growing number of deaths in which pregabalin was detected.

So while the Australian context differs, the underlying policy question is one the UK has already been wrestling with. Whether tighter controls here have produced a similar downward trend remains a separate question — one the BMJ research may prompt UK researchers to examine.

Anyone concerned about their use of pregabalin or another prescribed medicine should speak to their GP in the first instance. NHS 111 is available by phone or online for urgent advice that doesn’t require a 999 call.