PRESCRIPTION painkillers have played a major role in the recent spate of drug-related deaths in Barrow, leading to warnings from public health bosses about their illicit use.

The likes of diazepam and temazepam have long been taken by drug-users for their sedative purposes but the new generation of opiates are causing significant concern for health bosses.

Pregabalin and gabapentin, known as gabapentinoids, are becoming increasingly common among recreational users of opiate drugs.

Both were originally used to treat epilepsy but more recently have also been used to treat neuropathic pain, anxiety and insomnia.

Heroin addicts are turning to prescription painkillers to get the same 'hit' presumably because of greater availability, lower price and a perceived lower risk.

Next year pregabalin and gabapentin will be reclassified as a Class C controlled drug. While this won't prevent genuine patients from being prescribed them it will mean possession of them when they haven't been prescribed will result in a criminal conviction.

Figures from last year show prescriptions for these drugs rose from one million in 2004 to 10.5m in 2015, a 24 per cent year-on-year increase.

Prescription medications such as morphine, codeine, fentanyl and gabapentinoids can end up causing respiratory failure when taken at high doses and the effect when taking a cocktail of such drugs has led to a number of deaths in Barrow.

In December 2017 there were 13 drug-related deaths in the town.

Barrow dad Ian Hogg, whose inquest was held last week, had taken methadone, codeine, diazepam and pregabalin shortly before his death.

Rather than being caused by an overdose of one drug or a 'bad batch' as some initially presumed, many of the recent deaths in Barrow have been the result of taking a cocktail of prescription and illegal drugs.

The number of deaths in England and Wales involving gabapentinoids increased from fewer than one per year before 2009 to 137 in 2015, of which 79 per cent also involved opioids such as heroin.

Barrow pharmacist Ben Merriman said he has seen a growing number of patients being prescribed pregabalin and gabapentin for pain.

Some people choose to use these drugs alongside other drugs, both prescribed and otherwise, to achieve a feeling described by some as a “happy drunk” feeling," he said.

"Use with opiates such as heroin lead to a heightened euphoric feeling.

"However, using pregabalin or gabapentin with other drugs, including benzodiazepines (including diazepam or “Valium”) and opiates, can be very dangerous.

"The harm that illicit use of gabapentinoids has been so great that the government has been advised, and agreed, to take action. In 2016, over 100 deaths were linked to the use of pregabalin alone."