AT LAST, ACTION TO BEAT PILLS CRISIS
As major report reveals 1 in 4 is prescribed addictive drugs...
ACTION will finally be taken to help patients hooked on prescription drugs, the Health Secretary said last night.
Matt Hancock warned of a crisis of over-medicalisation, vowing to end it ‘once and for all’. And in a victory for a Daily Mail campaign, an official review will today call for a national helpline and for new guidelines on when doctors should intervene.
In the past year one in four adults has been given potentially addictive pills. The review from Public Health England says
11.5million patients in England have received at least one prescription in the past 12 months for drugs such as antidepressants, sleeping pills, tranquilisers and opioid painkillers.
Half of those have been taking the pills for at least a year and between a quarter and a third for three years. The problem often arises when patients are given painkillers after an operation or anti-depressants to cope with a bereavement. Some become hooked and have little support in breaking the habit. The report includes:
A demand for a 24-hour helpline staffed by experts who can advise callers on how to reduce their medication;
A recommendation that tough guidelines be drawn up to tell doctors when to intervene to get patients off their drugs;
The first official acknowledgement that withdrawal from anti-depressants can cause side effects;
The alarming fact that seven million people in England are on the drugs.
The Mail has been campaigning for greater recognition of the prescription drugs addiction crisis since March 2017.
Dr James Davies, of the University of Roehampton, said the report was hugely significant. ‘The Daily Mail has been integral to bringing this to public recognition,’ added the psychotherapist and campaigner. ‘When we started out there was hardly any awareness of these problems.
‘Now Public Health England is calling for new guidelines, new resources, a helpline – this is a significant moment and the Mail has been key to bringing it about.’
Sir Oliver Letwin, the Tory chairman of the all-party parliamentary group for prescribed drug dependence, said the report was ‘disturbing’.
The inquiry looked at five classes of drugs linked to dependence: anti-depressants, such as Prozac and Seroxat; benzodiazepines, such as diazepam, which are commonly prescribed for anxiety and insomnia; Z drugs, such as zopiclone, used for sleeping problems; gabapentinoids, such as pregabalin, for nerve pain, epilepsy and anxiety; and powerful opioid pain medications, such as tramadol and codeine.
It found that 26 per cent of adults in England had been prescribed one of the drugs in the year to April 2018, half having had a continuous prescription for at least 12 months. In one year, 17 per cent of the adult population were given anti-depressants and 13 per cent were given opioids.
Mr Hancock said: ‘I’m incredibly concerned by this new evidence about the impact over-medicalisation is having.
‘The disturbing findings of the report – especially that one in eight adults in England are taking super strength, addictive opioid painkillers, many for extended periods of time – proves to me we are in the grip of an over-medication crisis.
‘What is equally alarming is that in many cases, these medicines are unlikely to be working effectively due to over-use.
‘I refuse to let this escalate to the level seen in the United States. This review is a wake-up call, and we have already taken steps to address this issue. The entire healthcare system will now be involved in making sure that we put an end to this once and for all.’
Rosanna O’Connor of Public Health England said the agency was seeking updated guidance on the medicines. She added: ‘We expect doctors to have clear discussions with their patients – including on options. Medicines aren’t the only place people can go.’
Professor Paul Cosford, emeritus medical director at PHE, said the drugs were often a lifeline and no one should stop their medication without speaking to a doctor.
‘We are not trying to stigmatise either these drugs or the people who take these drugs,’ he added.
‘What you see is that a proportion of those people then find it very difficult to withdraw from the drugs and end up on a long-term prescription. That proportion gradually builds because it accumulates over the years and that’s the group we are particularly concerned about.’
Professor Cosford said guidelines to be issued by the NHS watchdog NICE next year should tell doctors when to step in.
Professor Wendy Burn of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said: ‘The findings of this review must be carefully listened to. These drugs are important to the health and wellbeing of many patients when prescribed properly, but guidance for doctors needs to be updated to reflect the experience of patients who experience negative effects of withdrawal.’
Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard of the Royal College of GPs called for better access to alternative therapies in the community.
THE Mail applauds Public Health England’s call for a 24-hour helpline for people hooked on prescription drugs and new guidelines telling doctors when to intervene to wean patients off powerful antidepressants, sedatives and opioid painkillers.
Terrifyingly, a quarter of all adults were prescribed such drugs last year, with many left on them far too long – to the detriment of their health and at huge cost to the NHS.
We have campaigned for more than two years to raise awareness and drive a change in that culture. We hope these measures will be just the start.