diff --git a/.env.sample b/.env.sample
index 6daa4bf..021b6f6 100644
--- a/.env.sample
+++ b/.env.sample
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ DB_PASSWORD = ''
 DB_HOST = 'postgres'
 DB_PORT = '5432'
 DB_SSL_MODE = 'disable'
+DB_DISABLE_SERVER_SIDE_CURSORS = 'False' # If you're using an external connection bouncer (eg. PgBouncer), set this to True
 
 # Redis
 # Used for DB cache and Celery broker
diff --git a/backend/config/settings.py b/backend/config/settings.py
index c486651..bfd5707 100644
--- a/backend/config/settings.py
+++ b/backend/config/settings.py
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ DATABASES = {
     "default": {
         "ENGINE": "django.db.backends.postgresql",
         # Set to True to avoid issues with pgbouncer when pooling connections
-        'DISABLE_SERVER_SIDE_CURSORS': True,
+        'DISABLE_SERVER_SIDE_CURSORS': get_secret("DB_DISABLE_SERVER_SIDE_CURSORS"),
         "NAME": get_secret("DB_DATABASE"),
         "USER": get_secret("DB_USERNAME"),
         "PASSWORD": get_secret("DB_PASSWORD"),