'Unnecessary' painkillers risk addiction

Leading medical professionals have warned that potentially addictive opiate painkillers are being handed out too readily as drug prescription doubles in last 10 years.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Faculty of Pain Medicine has claimed that the increase in the prescription rates of painkillers in the UK, such as codeine and tramadol, should be ‘met with concern’ as large proportions of patients could be addicted to them.

Recent NHS Digital figures highlighted that prescriptions of opioids have doubled since 2006, with the number of prescriptions issued rising from 12 million to 24 million. The prescription of oxycodone rose from 387,591 to 1.5 million over the same period - representing a 287 per cent rise. There was also a 236 per cent increase in prescriptions for morphine sulphate and an 143 per cent rise for fentanyl.

As a result, doctors have issued a warning concerning the number of people in the UK who may be addicted to these drugs because medics prescribe them too readily, with recent estimates suggesting over 192,000 people could be dependent.

Dr Barry Miller, dean of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, said: “While some of the increase can be attributed to an improved understanding of the effectiveness of these medications by medical professionals, we are concerned by reports of unnecessary prescription. Our greater understanding of these medications can improve the quality of life for tens of thousands of patients in the UK living with complex pain. However, all NHS staff prescribing these medications need to ensure they are not doing more harm than good.”