Rise in patients hooked on prescription medication

A recent review by Public Health England studied the use of strong painkillers, sleeping tablets and antidepressents, which are currently used by a quarter of adults in the country every year, and found that 50 per cent of patients had been taking the medication for 12 months or more.

Officials said that taking the medication on a long-term basis could not be justified and showed that patients were becoming dependent.

Professor Paul Cosford, medical director of PHE, said “These medicines have many vital clinical uses and can make a big difference to people’s quality of life.”

However, he went on to say that there were too many cases where patients were taking them for longer than was ‘clinically’ appropriate, where the risks could outweigh the benefits or the drugs would have stopped working effectively.

He added “We need to make sure people are helped to access alternative treatments.”

PHE have stressed that patients should not discontinue taking their drugs, but should instead seek the assistance of their GP, who are being encouraged to look into alternative solutions.

It is not currently clear whether this scale of long-term use of prescription medication was causing harm, although there are side effects associated with each drug, including weight gain and putting stress on the lungs, heart and kidney.

However, PHE did say that long-term use meant that tolerance may build up and that treatments could cease to be effective, or the medication may need to be increased and a reduction in use could lead to withdrawal symptoms.

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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