This section of the DrugWise website is dedicated to information and links concerning dependency problems arising from the prescribing of psychiatric and painkiller drugs and also those bought over-the counter or online.
Harry Shapiro is a member of the Secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Prescribed Drug Dependence and is also assisting the Opiate Painkiller Dependency Alliance.
Key documents:
Prescribed medicines review: report, 2019
Report of the review of the evidence for dependence on, and withdrawal from, prescribed medicines | PHE, UK.
This analysis showed that, in 2017 to 2018, 11.5 million adults in England (26% of the adult population) received, and had dispensed, one or more prescriptions for any of the medicines within the scope of the review.
The totals for each medicine were:
- antidepressants 7.3 million people (17% of the adult population)
- opioid pain medicines 5.6 million (13%)
- gabapentinoids 1.5 million (3%)
- benzodiazepines 1.4 million (3%)
- z-drugs 1.0 million (2%)
Opioid painkiller dependency (OPD) An overview (PDF) A report written for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prescribed Drug Dependence by Harry Shapiro.
Other useful links:
Battle Against Tranquillisers helps those addicted to benzodiazepines, ‘Z’ drug tranquillisers, sleeping pills (and drugs with similar effects) and who wish to withdraw from them
The Council for Evidence-Based Psychiatry (CEP) exists to communicate evidence of the potentially harmful effects of psychiatric drugs to the people and institutions in the UK that can make a difference.
Painkiller addiction information network is a UK charity dedicated to bringing together the pain and addiction communities to help fight addiction to prescribed medication