On October 19, the APPG for Prescribed Drug Dependence convened at the House of Lords to address the issue of opioid painkiller dependence. The meeting revealed a staggering 500% increase in opioid prescriptions since 1991. The British Pain Society, present at the meeting, commented, “We do not know the full scale of opioid-related harm, but virtually every clinic encounters patients caught in this trap.” Experts agreed that there are currently few suitable services to assist patients in withdrawing from these medications.
In response, the APPG supports the BMA’s call for a national helpline to aid patients in withdrawing from opioid painkillers, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants. Millions of patients are on these medications unnecessarily, costing the NHS tens of millions of pounds, and should be supported appropriately through the withdrawal process. Recently, the APPG, in collaboration with the University of Roehampton, estimated that over a quarter of a million people in the UK are long-term users of benzodiazepines, despite the British National Formulary recommending their use for only 2 to 4 weeks.
The side effects and withdrawal symptoms can be severe, lasting months or even years, often leading to disabilities or, in extreme cases, suicide. Unfortunately, there are currently no NHS services dedicated to helping individuals withdraw from these or other psychotropic medications.
The APPG believes that a national helpline and accompanying website would be a crucial resource for patients, carers, families, and healthcare professionals. This would offer a low-cost yet effective national response to a pressing public health issue.
Paul Flynn MP, chair of the APPG, stated, “Dependence on prescribed drugs can have devastating impacts on patients, resulting in years of unnecessary suffering and disability. There are also significant societal costs, including the impact on families and communities, lost productivity, and the millions spent unnecessarily each year on prescriptions by an overstretched NHS. This issue has been overlooked by the medical establishment for far too long. I am pleased that the BMA is now advocating for a 24-hour national helpline to address this problem. The APPG for Prescribed Drug Dependence fully supports this initiative, and I will be writing to the public health minister to advance this cause.”
