Pregabalin: Doctors call for 'new Valium' to be restricted amid sharp rise in abuse

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “People are using very high doses; the maximum recommended dose is around 600mg, we’ve seen people misuse up to 3,000mg per day, which is a huge amount.” One pregabalin user who wished not to be named said he has been taking the drug for anxiety for around nine years, and on some days takes up to 2500mg. “I could not handle it, it has become my crutch and without it I would be in a very bad situation.” Ben Johnson jokes about drugs in betting advert Pregabalin has until now only been available for prescription in a branded form called Lyrica, produced by Pfizer, with pharmacists advised to reject any requests for the cheaper generic version of the drug due to an ongoing legal dispute between pharmaceutical companies. However, GPs will be able to prescribe the cheaper, non-branded version of the drug when Pfizer’s patent expires on 17 July, NHS England has announced – which could cause an “explosion” in its misuse, Dr Abbasi said. At the BMA’s annual representative meeting in Bournemouth, Dr Mark Pickering called on the union to lobby the appropriate authorities to make pregabalin, which can produce a “euphoric high similar to opiates”, a controlled drug.