Opioids are also prescribed to people in the poorest regions of the country nearly twice as frequently as in the wealthiest regions.
A North-South split over the prescription of high-dose opioids and other medications.
The findings are described as a “ticking time bomb” of possible addiction issues.
According to Open Prescribing data, the amount of medication prescribed per person in the North East is three times higher than in London.
A practice in Durham with 18,000 patients, for instance, prescribes more than 1.2 million mg of opioids per month (the rough equivalent of 42,000 strong tablets).
A typical practice of the same size in the United Kingdom would prescribe roughly 480,000 mg each month (about 16,000 strong tablets).
The region’s chief pharmacist told, “We all need to be re-educated” on the possible dangers of over-prescription.
Opioids are also prescribed to people in the poorest regions of the country nearly twice as frequently as in the wealthiest regions.
According to social workers and other experts, GPs provide the clientele for a burgeoning illicit market in prescription medications, and there is a dearth of services to assist those with addictions.
While opiate use has decreased marginally over the past few years, prescriptions for other medications such as pregabalin have increased.
According to patients, they struggled to overcome their addiction and frequently turned to underground sellers to replenish their prescriptions.
Justine Grant, from Sacriston, near Durham, overcame her heroin addiction and remained clean for 12 years, but she claims the painkiller her doctor later recommended was an even larger problem.
She remarked, “Pregabalin was prescribed when I stated that I require something similar to ibuprofen but perhaps somewhat stronger. It is highly, highly addictive. More addicting than anything I have ever tried.”
“I became quickly dependent on one of these each day, then two, then three, then four. Up till I was taking ten a day. I’m not sure how I’m still alive.”
Justine refilled her prescriptions through drug dealers, using 3,000 mg of the medicine every day for £25.
She went on: “Everyone is receiving them. Doctors consider them to be a new miracle medicine and are blind to the issues they cause.”
NHS England’s advice published eight years ago advises physicians that this type of medicine “may lead to dependence and may be abused or misdirected.”
It further states that the substance is a “trade commodity” in jails.
What will my daughter do if I do not awaken?
Cheryl Parker, also from the Durham region, developed a codeine addiction after problems during childbirth. Soon thereafter, she has prescribed 100 pills every three days. She constantly feared an overdose, yet became ill if she attempted withdrawal.
She stated, “God, I was once ill. Spitting, unable to move, continuously using the restroom, and mentally exhausted. Every night, I used to keep an inhaler at the foot of my bed. I used to be in a state of panic. What would I do if I failed to awaken? My little girl is there, what will she do?'”
Justine and Cheryl are both sheltered by Positive Directions, an organization that provides housing for vulnerable individuals.
One of the organization’s support workers, Beverly Crooks, asserts that persons with mental health and addiction issues have limited access to assistance.
She stated, “In the past year, there have been numerous drug-related suicides and a lack of assistance. People who are very depressed are unable to receive any assistance and are told that no one can come out to meet them due to a lack of staff.”
Gary Crooks, director of Positive Directions, told, “It’s an enormous problem and a ticking time bomb that’s been boiling for quite some time.”
“Being on the front lines, we are witnessing a boom of prescribed medications from GPs, as well as on the illicit market.
“Numerous individuals have been gaining access to pharmaceuticals via the dark web, purchasing prescription drugs at a substantial discount, and then selling them on the street.
They are incredibly addictive, but the difficulty is that they are frequently recommended by medical practitioners, so the people who take them are unaware of how addictive they are.
Primary care is strained.
Ewan Maule, the chief pharmacist for the North East and North Cumbria, asserts that there is a connection between poverty, particularly in fading industrial regions such as the North East, and chronic pain, which leads to an increase in opioid usage in some areas.
However, he asserts that the medical community’s awareness of the harm posed by opioids has grown, and NHS personnel should take note.
He said: “We are beginning to discuss non-drug treatments and non-medications for the treatment of chronic pain because we are aware that the long-term risks of opioids outweigh their advantages.
“We must all re-educate ourselves. People who were educated 20 years ago, such as myself, must alter their way of thinking.”
Medical experts in the region concur, and a program is being started in the North East to leverage GPs’ databases to offer assistance to those using large doses of opioids.
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust Professor Julia Newton stated: “We must recognize that we are an exception in this area and investigate why that may be.
“Currently, primary care is overburdened, and time is extremely valuable during brief GP consultations. And I believe it may sometimes be easier for a general practitioner to prescribe or continue prescribing a medication when a patient requests one.”
Provided heroin at a treatment facility
It is simple to become dependent on a substance, but it is difficult to find assistance to quit. According to addicts, the largest Durham rehabilitation facility, County Durham Substance Misuse Service – Centre for Change, has dealers both outside and inside.
As opposed to recovery, it is a fantastic location to “go for a hit,” according to a recovered addict.
A client exiting the facility offered heroin to a social worker on our team.
Humankind, the organization that operates the center, stated that it takes any reports of drug use and sale within its facilities “very seriously” and has “strong, well-communicated policies preventing these crimes.”
“Anyone discovered dealing, sharing, or using drugs on a Humankind site will be confronted and reported to the authorities, and claims of drug dealing are thoroughly examined,” the statement continued.
This is another aspect of the government’s aim to level the playing field that requires attention. In addition to industrial loss and increased poverty, communities afflicted by addiction now face substance abuse.
Justine, a former addict, states: “How do they intend to end the cycle? There are no employment, no aid, no prospects, and no hopes.”
And it appears that medication cannot replace investments, jobs, or services.
