Adding opioids or benzodiazepines to gabapentinoids boosts drug poisoning risk, analysis shows

MedicalXpress | avr. 16, 2026

People who take gabapentinoids, a medication prescribed increasingly frequently worldwide, particularly for chronic pain, face a much greater risk of drug poisoning if they are also taking another medication, finds a new study by University College London (UCL) researchers. The authors of the new PLOS Medicine study have found that among people taking gabapentinoids, adding benzodiazepines was associated with a doubling in the risk of hospitalization for drug poisoning, while adding opioids was associated with a 30% increase in risk.