Use of prescription painkillers doubles in 15 years
THE use of prescription painkillers has doubled in the past 15 years, a report by public health experts has found.
One in 20 people in England is now prescribed potentially addictive opioid painkillers such as codeine and tramadol, and such drugs are also being prescribed for longer periods of time, which can reduce the benefits and make addiction more likely.
The Public Health Research Consortium studied data from 50,000 NHS patients, focusing on those who were prescribed at least one of four types of potentially addictive drugs between 2000 and 2015.
In 2015, five per cent of patients were said to be receiving regular prescriptions, double the rate in 2000.
Neil Smith, research director at the National Centre for Social Research, told the BBC: “This report highlights that a balance needs to be struck between avoiding prescribing that might lead to dependence or other harms and ensuring proper access to medicines to relieve suffering and treat disorders.
“Trends in the extent and duration of opioid prescribing… need close and ongoing monitoring.”
Dr Cathy Stannard, a specialist in pain management, said it was clear that patients who used opioid drugs for a long time often got little benefit, but suffered all the side-effects.
“I am not suggesting somebody who is benefiting has their drugs removed,” she said. “But out of a population who are taking these drugs, the majority are not benefiting and they should be supported to come off these medicines.”
The report found that two thirds of patients prescribed the painkillers, known as Dependence Forming Medicines (DFM), were female.
Older patients, and those living in the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber areas were more likely to be prescribed the drugs long term.
DFM prescriptions were found to be more common in patients with a cancer or epilepsy diagnosis.
The report concluded: “A balance needs to be struck between, on the one hand, ensuring proper access to medicines to relieve suffering and to treat disorders while, on the other hand, avoiding prescribing that might cause harms such as dependence.
“The large increase in opioid prescribing needs careful tracking to ensure appropriate prescribing is preserved while, at the same time, caution is exercised to avoid ill-considered long-term prescribing without continuing benefit.”
In 2014, a study found that the risk of taking strong painkillers containing codeine and other opioids for headaches and backache outweighed the benefits.
The American Academy of Neurology said studies showed that half of patients taking opioids for at least three months were still on them five years later.