Medical Professionals to Man Claiming Lyrica Made Him Gay: Umm, No

A 23-year-old Englishman made headlines when he claimed that a painkiller turned him gay. Scott Purdy's contention is that Pregabalin, which he took for a broken foot - the drug is called Lyrica in the United States - made him gay. But a chorus of experts are now weighing in on that claim, and they're unanimous: Medical science says No.

Chief among the skeptics is an openly gay physician and television host Dr. Raj Singh, upon whose morning program Purdy appeared, according to a report published by Wales Online.

Dr. Singh is the resident physician for British program "This Morning." He "explained that Pregabalin is used to calm down nerves, epilepsy, pain disorders and anxiety - with side effects including alteration in sexual desire and ability to achieve orgasm," the article said. His diagnosis? According to another U.K. newspaper, the Mirorr, the doctor "believes Scott always had same-sex desires and the painkillers have just made him less anxious about his sexuality." Dr. Singh also noted that while painkillers don't alter one's sexuality, they can decrease - in some cases increase - sexual desire.

Said the doctor, "Either way, what it probably does is allow you to express what was already there.... This has allowed you, or given you permission, to be who you are."

Another British newspaper, The Independent, reported on the opinion offered by Dr. Mike Berry, a forensic psychologist. "He appears to be more accepting of his gay status but is using the medication to explain his underlying interest the same way people use alcohol to excuse their sexual behavior," Berry noted.

LGBTQ equality advocates chimed in, eager to push back against a story that anti-gay conservatives could seize upon as "evidence" that sexuality can be chosen or changed.

"There have always been attempts to suggest that there is 'something in the water' causing same-sex attraction," a spokesperson from GLBTQ rights group Stonewall said. "But we know that while sexual orientation can certainly be fluid, it cannot be forcibly changed by external influences.... We need people to understand that same-sex attraction is natural, normal and not something that needs to be changed."

Purdy said on the TV show that when he stopped taking the painkiller for a time, how sexual interest in his then-girlfriend returned. But this was a temporary state of affairs, as he was soon compelled to resume taking Pregabalin. He eventually ended that relationship and he continues to date men. "I'm very happy," Purdy told the press when the story initially broke. "I want to keep on taking it because it makes me feel happy about my sexuality."