Gabepentin Contributes to State’s Drug Problems

A West Virginia Board of Pharmacy report says a prescription drug used to treat nerve pain is contributing to a sharp increase of overdose deaths in the state. The Gazette-Mail reports the number of fatal overdoses involving gabapentin in West Virginia jumped from three in 2010 to 109 in 2015. The number of 2016 deaths are still being counted. Gabapentin is showing up in cocktails of drugs that are linked to overdose deaths. Users mix the drug with opioids or muscle-relaxants and anti-anxiety medications. The increase in deaths has prompted a pharmacy board committee to recommend making gabapentin a controlled substance in West Virginia.