A man has claimed that taking painkillers turned him gay.

Scott Purdy, 23, alleged that he was straight until a go-karting accident left him with a broken foot and the need to dull the pain.

But, Purdy said, he was “happy” with the development.

“I’m not angry because it’s made me who I am,” he told the Mirror.

Purdy, from Louth in Lincolnshire, dumped his girlfriend after he started taking Pregabalin, sold by pharmaceutical company Pfizer as Lyrica. It can treat nerve pain, anxiety and epilepsy.

Purdy, who is unemployed, said: “I noticed my libido for women had gone and I was wanting male attention.

“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 trailed off.

“A couple of weeks after I started taking it I turned around and said I didn’t find her physically attractive anymore. She knew I was taking Pregabalin.

“I said to her, ‘I don’t really know what’s happening to me and I told her I like men and I just can’t be with you.’

He recalled: “She was relatively understanding, as understanding as you could possibly be.”

Purdy continued: “I just think people should know about this.

“If anyone gets prescribed this in the future, I think they should know what this medication can do.

“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,” he alleged.

But, Purdy added, he was enjoying his new lease on life.

“I’m on it now; I’m very happy,” he said. “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.

“Pregabalin is also used to control paranoia and anxiety. It’s made me so open and not bothered what people think or say.”

He continued: “I had been taking it for a few weeks and I have come to the realisation that when I take it I want males.”

Purdy said that those close to him were surprised, but that their reactions didn’t stop him posting about it online.

“It did come as a shock to people,” he said. “I posted it on Facebook.

“I didn’t tell them the reason why but I just said to them: ‘I’m open; I’m gay.'”

He’s even putting himself out there.

“Currently I’m talking to this lad on Plenty of Fish and in a couple of weeks I’m going up to see him. He’s in London,” said Purdy.

“It’s really what I’m craving right now. I want to be with him right now.”

He emphasised that he had fully accepted his sexuality, saying: “I feel if this has happened to other people and I’m not the only one, I would be outraged, but in a sense not be, because if I had known this was a side effect before I would not have taken them – but now, I’m happy.

“I’m not angry because it’s made me who I am.”

In a statement to PinkNews, Pfizer said: “When prescribed and administered appropriately as per the approved label, Lyrica® (pregabalin) is an important and effective treatment option for many people living with chronic neuropathic pain, generalised anxiety disorder and epilepsy.

“The clinical effectiveness of this medicine has been demonstrated in a large number of robust clinical trials among thousands of patients living with these conditions.

“To date, the worldwide exposure to pregabalin is an estimated 34 million patient years.”

The global mega-company recommended that patients experiencing “any unexpected side effects” immediately report them to a doctor or another healthcare professional.

“Patient safety is, and will always be, Pfizer’s utmost priority,” the statement continued.

“We work with regulatory authorities around the world to continuously evaluate and monitor safety for each and every Pfizer medicine through ongoing clinical research, analysis and surveillance.”

PinkNews asked Pfizer whether Pregabalin could make people gay, to which a spokesperson for the company responded: “We have no further comment to add in relation to this story.”

Purdy’s allegation follows a study last year which found that eating too many fatty foods – such as chicken nuggets – can cause homosexuality or make you transgender.

A Liberal Democrat candidate who said “feminising hormones in the water supply” were affecting people’s sexuality failed in her election bid last year.

A study has also claimed that same-sex attraction in women only developed because it turns men on.