Public Citizen Calls for Gabapentin to Be Listed as a Controlled Substance

Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen is pressing the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to add gabapentin, a treatment for epilepsy and neuropathic pain, to its list of controlled substances because of its high potential for abuse.

Abuse of gabapentin carries serious risks, including psychological effects, physical dependence, seizures, suicide and overdose death, the group said in a petition to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, which noted that there is “extensive evidence documenting the abuse potential of gabapentin and increasing misuse, abuse and dependence of the drug.”

Gabapentin is structurally similar to the naturally occurring neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid and the drug pregabalin, which has been on the DEA’s controlled substance list since 2005, the group said.