A 23-year old man who the Daily Mirror reports described himself as a “hot-blooded heterosexual” says painkillers have changed his sexual orientation. He now identifies as gay.

Scott Purdy “enjoyed dating women before he started taking [the] painkiller Pregabalin, also known as Lyrica.”

“I noticed my libido for women had gone and I was wanting male attention,” Purdy says. “I turned around and said I didn’t find her physically attractive anymore,” after taking the painkillers for a few weeks.

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“Pregabalin or Lyrica is a medication used to treat epilepsy, pain associated with the brain, and generalized anxiety disorder,” The Mirror notes.

“I was with a girlfriend I had been with for around six months. I had never been interested in men. When I was younger I was a little bit curious but…” he adds.

“It took me a while to realise what it was. I stopped taking it for a few weeks and that desire for men just left,” Purdy says.

“But I’m on it now; I’m very happy. I want to keep on taking it because it makes me feel happy about my sexuality. It’s made me feel very open. It’s liberating.”

Purdy also tells The Daily Mail, “I’m not angry because it’s made me who I am.”