An anti-epileptic used as a drug: the concern of doctors over Pregabalin
An antiepileptic is used as a drug, it is Pregabalin, and this worries the medical profession.
Its name is “Lyrica”, but the molecule is pregabalin. It is an antiepileptic, which is also used as a narcotic. A dispatch taken up by 20 Minutes reveals the concerns of the medical profession regarding the consumption of what they call “the new drug for the poor”. Since 2021, the ANSM has been warning about the increase in the misuse of this drug.
If she bears this nickname, it is because the drug (sold outside official circuits to non-epileptic patients, via fake prescriptions) is very inexpensive. There are several dosages, but its maximum cost is around 21 euros, or 2 euros per tablet.
Risks of overdose and dependence
If pregabalin is taken as a drug, it is because it has anxiolytic effectsthat it causeseuphoria, which she disinhibits. It also has analgesic and stimulating effects.
But it also presents serious risks as explained by doctor Saïd Ouichou to France Info: first, overdose, because if the dosage is 25mg, some consume up to 300mg. Confusion, loss of consciousness, risk of coma, and deaths are then associated with it. But also the risk of causing addiction, as noted by the ANSM in its notice on the subject.
Sources: France Info, 20 Minutes, ANSM