The latest drug to come under FDA scrutiny is the generic gabapentin, the 9^th most prescribed medication in the US. Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has stated, “I don’t want to be sitting here 5 or 10 years from now lamenting that we didn’t take more aggressive action.” Many physicians are not aware that people are using gabapentin, often mixed with opioids and other substances, to achieve a modified mental status. The AP reports that, according to medical journal articles, 15 to 25% of opioid users also use gabapentin. While it is not considered addictive, it has featured in a rising number of overdoses.

Some states are adding gabapentin to their tracking databases, and Kentucky has classified it as a “scheduled substance.” It appears that increased prescribing levels originated at a time when the drug’s original manufacturer began aggressive marketing. In 2004 the company, Warner-Lambert, pleaded guilty to charges of promoting gabapentin for a wide range of uses not approved by the FDA and paid over $430 million in settlement of the charges. Warner-Lambert was purchased by Pfizer in 2000.