The story line sounds familiar: a popular pain drug becomes a new way to get high as prescribing by doctors soars. It's a 25-year-old generic pill long seen as a low risk way to treat seizures, nerve pain and other ailments. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's prescribing guidelines endorse gabapentin as a good choice for nerve pain. A recent review of research by the Cochrane Group confirmed gabapentin's benefits for several forms of nerve pain, but found little evidence of its effectiveness for more common muscle and joint pain. Pfizer also sells a similar drug named Lyrica, a blockbuster medication approved for fibromyalgia, diabetic nerve pain and several other uses.

Source: ABC News May 04, 2018 15:18 UTC