Prescribed pain pills “harder to quit than street drugs” – addiction expert

Tuesday 01 September 2015

Addiction to prescription pain pills can be harder to come off than street drugs, says addiction therapy specialist Jason Wyse.

As head of Silkworth Lodge, the only rehabilitation center in the Channel Islands, Mr Wyse witnesses the effect of addiction to prescription medication first-hand and believes the Island faces a “potentially huge problem”.

A report on illicit drugs in Jersey, commissioned by the States in June found that:

- 11 out of 13 pharmacists believed that over-the-counter medications were being purchased for misuse.

- The drug pharmacists thought most likely to be being abused was Nurofen Plus.

- Local pharmacists believed the most abused prescription pills were tramadol, benzodiazepines, diazepam and codeine.

“This also raises another important issue – it is not just prescribed medication that causes a problem; you can buy Nurofen over the counter which is packed with Codeine,” added Mr Wyse.

“The real problem comes when you try and get of these pills, your body becomes so used to having them that getting off prescription medication is sometimes a bigger challenge then with other drugs.

“It’s a mental issue – you don't see it as though you’re doing anything wrong because the pills you are using come from a doctor.”

Mr Wyse’s comments follow news that nearly two million Britons are regularly taking painkillers prescribed for other people as a means of relaxing and getting high.

The abused drugs include Codeine and gabapentin, which can be harder to come off than heroin.

The misuse of prescription painkillers poses severe health risks.

Deaths linked to gabapentin and pregabalin in the UK rose from 12 in 2012 to 42 in 2013 while the number of death certificates in which tramadol was mentioned rose from 43 in 2004 to 175 in 2012.

“I highlighted this problem in Jersey two or three years ago; this is not a new problem, it just hasn't been highlighted,” Mr Wyse added.

“We need a long period of education and an attitude change into how we view this sort of addiction. We mustn’t forget that there is a justified and real need for these prescribed medications; but we have to ensure that we raise awareness of the problem.”