Medical leaders have warned that powerful and potentially addictive opiate painkillers are being handed out too readily, amid news prescriptions of the drug have doubled in the past decade.
Doctors have warned about the numbers of people in Britain who may be addicted to these drugs as a result. Recent estimates suggesting over 192,000 could be dependent. We asked for our readers to talk about their relationship with pain killers and whether they worry about how frequently these drugs are given to patients. Here are a selection of your stories.
Katie, 54, from Shropshire: I would dearly love to leave the OxyContin behind but I am so addicted to it’
I take painkillers for chronic neuropathic pain. I’ve been on 25mg twice a day of OxyContin for five years. Before that I was on fentanyl patches for three years (can’t remember the dosage) and before that I was on tramadol. I take other opioids, such as morphine, when things get unbearable.
I have lots of weird symptoms but it’s difficult to know what’s caused by the OxyContin and what’s down to my spinal cord injury. One thing is for sure – I am well and truly addicted to OxyContin. I take 20mg at about 8am and until then I cannot start the day. If I’m having a bad morning I’ll top it up a little. I take the next 20mg mid afternoon, depending how I feel but I have a dip and feel very flat until I’ve taken the mid afternoon one. By bedtime I’m often feeling flat and wake up feeling sad.
My GP prescribed fentanyl patches in or around 2009 when I said tramadol was no longer effective. I did not realise they are many times stronger and more addictive and usually only used for palliative care. The GP certainly did not explain any of that. They helped with the pain but I quite quickly realised I was utterly dependent on them and when the patch was running low, every three days, I was pretty much suicidal. After a new patch I was full of joy and felt full of energy. I felt incredibly guilty about it and told no one. Eventually I asked my GP and other doctors several times for help but was told that if they helped the pain I shouldn’t come off them. I was admitted onto a ward for a week and during that time my medication was changed from fentanyl to OxyContin. I’d never heard of it and it wasn’t until I read of the deaths in America I realised my situation hasn’t improved much. No other therapy other than medication has ever been suggested by a doctor in the 22 years since my accident. I would dearly love to leave the OxyContin behind but it frightens me because I am so addicted to it.
Ashley, 54 from Cardiff: ‘Painkillers can improve our lives, and we can use them safely and effectively’
I was prescribed tramadol when I had a knee replacement. I knew it was highly addictive drug and had some concerns. I spoke to my GP who was both clear and reassuring. He said that it is true that tramadol is highly addictive but explained that at that moment it was important to manage the pain caused by my knee replacement. This would allow my body would heal as well as possible. He told me that when it was time to stop taking the pain killers I would need to gradually decrease the dosage, and reassured me that he would supervise this process. That’s exactly what happened. I appreciate the knowledge, skill and care my GP demonstrated in this situation.
My GP provided the support I needed. In my situation the pain was acute and the painkillers were only necessary for a limited period. Chronic pain management poses different challenges. The NHS can and does provide psychological support for pain management for people dealing with chronic pain. Mindfulness therapies and other non-drug therapeutic treatments can be extremely effective in helping people to manage chronic pain.
I have no regrets about going onto these drugs. I am grateful to be living in a country with a national health care system, grateful for the knee replacement that has enabled me to be active again, and grateful that my GP responded so well to my concerns.
I hope your report will consider the positive side of these drugs as well. Painkillers can improve our lives, and we can use them safely and effectively. Our national healthcare system is full of people who are careful and committed. These people are delivering many different forms of care, including not only the prescription of opioids but also therapeutic treatments to help people manage chronic pain.
Chloe, 49, from Northants: ‘ I have had periods without painkillers, but the pain gets out of control’
I was prescribed painkillers for rheumatoid arthritis, mixed connective tissue disease, fibromyalgia. I’ve been taking them for 11 years. I started with paracetamol and I am now on co-codamol (30/500mgs). Additionally, I have recently been given etoroxib.
The painkillers are reputed to cause constipation, but as I have inflammatory bowel disease, that’s more of a bonus for me. The side-effects I struggle with are the slowing of my metabolism. This has ruined my self esteem, as my weight has ballooned and I now rarely leave the house. I find that at times, I am drowsy; this slows my thinking and I am unconvinced this is healthy. Making decent decisions is hard with a brain that feels like it is too slow to process information adequately. I have had periods without painkillers, but all that happens is the pain gets out of control and I become utterly exhausted.
I believe some patients shouldn’t have painkillers prescribed and they, especially shouldn’t be on them for such a long time. However, if the patient feels pain then dealing with that is the doctor’s responsibility. Fortunately, pain relief isn’t as difficult to withdraw from as other drugs if a slow and steady regimen with support is available.
John, from the north of England: ‘I have just been left on this medication no questions asked’
My painkillers were prescribed after I had my leg amputated. I have been on Oxycodone for three years. I am too scared to come off of them before cause I know I will have to take time off work so I am just carrying on taking them. I don’t know what I’m going to do I haven’t told my family that I am no longer in pain and my work don’t know about It.
There are side effects, however. My memory isn’t as good as it used to be. If I don’t take my tablets at my three times a day I become very lethargic and moody.
I think there should be a review procedure because I have just been left on this medication no questions asked. I tried to lower my dose but I couldn’t sleep at night, I was grumpy and had no energy.
I wish I had came off them sooner because it’s going to be a lot harder when I do finally come off the drug. The reason I am still taking it is because it feels good it’s like a release for me. I clearly shouldn’t be on them any more but I enjoy the rush from taking it.
- Names and details have been changed.
"I am so addicted to OxyContin": readers on prescription painkillers
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