One in three given strong painkillers show signs of addiction, major review finds

One in three people who take prescription painkillers show signs of addiction, a major analysis found.

The study – involving more than 4.3 million adults with chronic pain – found nearly one in ten prescribed opioids became dependent.

Experts said it suggests the scale of the problem is far greater than feared and called for tighter prescription guidelines.

Opioids, such as codeine, morphine, oxycodone and tramadol, can provide highly effective pain relief when used in the short-term.

However, when used over longer periods they can lead to dependence, cause physical and mental health issues, or even death from accidental overdoses or heart conditions resulting from side effects.

A third of paients studied showed signs of dependence on opioids, while 12 per cent were found to be at risk of opioid use disorder.

Bristol University researchers analysed 148 studies enrolling over 4.3 million adult chronic pain patients treated with prescription opioid painkillers.

The divided them into four categories, depending on how the studies defined problematic opioid use.

It found almost one in ten patients had a formal diagnosis of dependence and opioid use disorder,

Almost one in three (30 per cent) showed signs and symptoms of dependence and opioid use disorder, such as craving, tolerance, or withdrawal.

Aberrant behaviour – including seeking early refills, repeated dose escalations, or frequently lost prescriptions – was apparent in one in five (22 per cent), according to the findings in journal Addiction.

Some 12 per cent were found to be at risk of dependence and opioid use disorder, according to researchers.

Lead author Kyla Thomas, Professor of Public Health Medicine at the University of Bristol, said: ‘Clinicians and policy makers need a more accurate estimate of the prevalence of problematic opioid use in pain patients so that they can gauge the true extent of the problem, change prescribing guidance if necessary, and develop and implement effective interventions to manage the problem.

Purple Rain singer Prince experienced significant pain for a number of years prior to his death, and hundreds of painkillers were found at his home. In 2018, his family filed a lawsuit against his doctor, alleging he failed to properly treat the star’s opioid addiction.

 ‘Knowing the size of the problem is a necessary step to managing it.’

The majority of studies involved patients in North America between 2010 and 2021, although the UK is also grappling with prescription drug addictions.

Last year, the NHS issued new guidelines aimed at reducing inappropriate prescribing of painkillers and other addictive drugs, which costs the health service around £500million a year.

It slashed opioid prescriptions by half a million from 5.68 million to 5.23 million following a campaign to cut use of addictive and potentially harmful drugs.

The Mail has been campaigning for greater recognition of the prescription drugs addiction crisis since 2017.

An NHS England spokesperson said: ‘When used appropriately, medicines can help deliver life-changing treatment for patients. It is important to be alert to the potential risks of dependence and withdrawal from certain medicines, including opioids, which is why our personalised care framework sets out guidance to deal with problem opioid use.

‘Any decision to prescribe a medicine should be made between the prescriber and patient and, if needed, patients should get support when a medicine is no longer providing its intended benefit.’