GPs fail to warn millions about anxiety pill risks
MILLIONS of people on antidepressants are never warned about their side-effects, experts say.
And many doctors are unaware of the medication’s potential dangers, according to a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence.
A survey of 319 antidepressant users – all of whom were trying to quit the pills – reveals 64 per cent were given no information about the potential risks and side effects by their doctors. And 25 per cent say they got no advice on how to give up the drugs.
The latest findings come after a major review last week revealed how hard it is to give up antidepressants – with more than half suffering withdrawal symptoms.
For years health officials have claimed the side- effects are ‘mild’ and last no more than a week or two. Many patients are told to ‘go cold turkey’ and suddenly stop taking the drugs, rather than gradually decreasing their dosage.
Nearly half of those in the latest survey said they experienced withdrawal symptoms for more than a year, and 30 per cent had to give up work. One patient said: ‘I exist as a shadow of the person I was.’
People in Britain use more antidepressants than almost every other country in the Western world. One in six adults – more than seven million people – take the drugs and are often left on them for years.
When they try to give up many experience nausea, anxiety, insomnia and agitation – symptoms that are often mistaken for a relapse of depression itself.
Former cabinet office minister Sir Oliver Letwin, chairman of the APPG for Prescribed Drug Dependence, said: ‘ These reports indicate that many doctors are unaware of the potential harms of antidepressants, and fail to communicate the risks to their patients.
The author of last week’s report, Dr James Davies of the University of Roehampton, said: ‘This undermines the principle of informed consent, which is essential if patients are to make a proper assessment of the harms and benefits.’
The Daily Mail has been campaigning with the APPG for greater support for patients left hooked on prescription drugs through no fault of their own. Shockingly there is no specific support for people dependent on prescription drugs, despite the resources spent on those who abuse illegal drugs.
One of the aims of the campaign is a 24-hour hotline for patients. Only 2.5 per cent of patients found NHS 111 to be a helpful source of support when quitting the pills.
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, added: ‘Hard-working and dedicated GPs will be dismayed by these findings … they add weight to calls for longer GP appointments.’