Specialists say the readiness of some GPs at hand out longer prescriptions throughout digital consultations is contributing to a surge in dependancy to painkillers through the pandemic.
The UK Dependancy Remedy (UKAT) group, which runs remedy centres, mentioned that the variety of folks it treats yearly for prescription opioid dependancy has risen by nearly half since 2018.
Explaining the rise, UKAT addictions counsellor Nuno Albuquerque mentioned: ‘It is particularly due to [the rise in] digital appointments, like phone appointments with GPs.
‘Now we have suggestions from shoppers saying that they really feel it is extra rushed once they have a cellphone appointment.
The UK Dependancy Remedy group mentioned that the variety of folks it treats yearly for prescription opioid dependancy has risen by nearly half since 2018 (inventory picture)
‘They really feel they have not acquired time to say what they should say.’
In such circumstances, he mentioned, affected person and physician might not have time to discover alternate options to highly effective painkillers, which embrace mindfulness or train.
The Mail on Sunday understands that some GPs are signing prolonged repeat prescriptions for opiate-based medicines, such because the painkiller co-codamol, after consulting with sufferers on the phone or by video convention.
After Covid-19 struck in early 2020, the proportion of face-to-face GP appointments plunged from about 80 per cent to nearer half in the midst of final 12 months. That determine has since recovered to about six in ten.
A repeat prescription is when a health care provider offers a affected person permission to acquire a number of prescriptions of a drug from a pharmacist for a specified time period.
Mr Albuquerque mentioned: ‘I am not a medical physician, however from my viewpoint as an dependancy specialist, I feel six months is an extended time period [to be prescribing opioids for].
The Mail on Sunday understands some GPs are signing prolonged repeat prescriptions for opiate-based medicines after consulting with sufferers on the phone (inventory picture)
‘Folks can develop a behavior or dependancy after a few weeks or a month, so I’d be against that observe.’
Prescription opioids are handed out to about 5 million folks a 12 months, based on a Public Well being England research in 2019, which discovered that greater than a tenth – 540,000 – had been on prescription opioids for at the very least three years.
The Nationwide Institute for Well being and Care Excellence (NICE) advises that such medicines ought to solely be prescribed for days to weeks due to their dependancy danger.
Harry Shapiro, director of the charity DrugWise, mentioned: ‘Coping with ache is troublesome for docs. You may’t see ache, even in face- to-face consultations.
‘If a health care provider refuses to prescribe any extra, sufferers might properly go surfing and purchase what they need in any amount with no checks.’