Epilepsy patients  have  been prescribed a highly addictive drug  Pregabalin developed as a treatment to combat convulsions in epilepsy. A report suggests it was linked to 3, 400 deaths in the past five years and as they have a higher mortality rate than general population as the number of deaths within the database increased by 69 per cent between first and last year of the study. Pregabalin was prescribed for anxiety has been linked to fastest death toll of any medication in Britain. The drug side effects include blurred vision, change in walking and balance, clumsiness, confusion, difficulty having a bowel movement, difficulty with speaking, drowsiness.

Pregabalin sold under brand names  Alzain, Axalid and Lyrica  all became class C drug in 2019. It is highly popular with recreational drug users.