12% drop in prescription of most addictive drugs

Wednesday 31 January 2018

GP prescriptions of the most addictive drugs has fallen by 12% across the Bailiwick during the last five years, the States' Prescribing Advisor has confirmed.

This comes after Public Health England launched a review following a 3% rise during the same period in England.

That review will cover the use of sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs, opioid analgesics and gabapentin/pregabalin and antidepressants. In 2012 a total of 3,463 prescriptions were written for those types of drugs in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with the figure falling to 3,045 in 2017.

Geraldine O’Riordan, Prescribing Advisor, said much work had already taken place across Primary and Secondary Care in Guernsey and Alderney in recent years to ensure the appropriate use of prescribed drugs:

"This team effort has meant that, rather than seeing the increase in the prescription of addictive drugs locally, we have seen a decrease. This is in contrast to the trend seen in England.

"Prescribing data, at individual doctor level and produced by the Prescribing Support Unit, has been circulated on a regular basis. Primary Care Prescribing Guidelines on prescribing on sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs were first produced in 2005 and on opioids in 2008. These have been backed up by many other measures including, but not limited to, hospital policies, workshops, bulletins, meetings and increasing intelligence about diversion onto the black market.

"We’re fortunate to have had such engagement from all concerned; secondary care specialists, primary care and colleagues in law enforcement. I believe that this unified approach has led to a very welcome reduction in prescribing."

The healthcare community has been very concerned about the prescribing of these drugs in recent times.

"Sadly many of the patients who are now addicted to these drugs will have been prescribed for a health problem. They need find themselves dependant on the drug, or suffering from withdrawal when supply is stopped," Ms O'Riordan said.