Probe into prescription drug addiction will be launched amid fears millions of Brits are hooked
A PROBE into prescription drug addiction will be launched today amid fears millions of Brits are hooked.
The number of scripts for opioid painkillers and antidepressants has doubled in England in a decade to 88.7million a year — 10,125 an hour.
And there are warnings the problem is now bigger than the illegal drugs market.
Harry Shapiro, from addiction charity DrugWise, said: “We are in the midst of a great public health disaster, happening in plain sight and ruining the lives of millions.
“Addiction to prescription drugs has far eclipsed addiction to illegal drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine, and it’s time something was done.”
Public Health Minister Steve Brine has asked Public Health England to investigate.
He said: “What is troubling is how quickly an addiction can take hold, sometimes for entirely innocent reasons as people increase their dose to manage pain without telling their doctor.”
Many opioids, mostly used for pain relief but also as tranquillisers, should be taken only for a matter of weeks.
But some users are on them for years, or even decades.
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Addicts can turn to crime or the black market.
One patient in 11 was prescribed a potentially addictive drug last year.
The problem is huge in the US, where more than 200,000 people died from opioid-related overdoses from 1999 to 2016.