Drink and Drugs News October 2016 | Page 10

Painkillers Spreading In the concluding article in a three-part series, DDN looks at much-needed services offering information and support B uying codeine-based cough medicine from the chemist was David Grieve’s path to addiction. At the time, manufacturers combined codeine with ephedrine – ‘a similar effect to amphetamines’, he says, and by the time he realised he needed help he was seriously ill. Struggling through treatment with very little help, he set up the support service Over-Count to help others who find they have a problem with over-thecounter medicines. Back in 1993, when he started it from his front room, it was a tiny organisation with no funds. Sadly, he says, the situation hasn’t changed much – but the problem of opioid painkiller addiction has grown out of all proportion. ‘Since we started Over-Count in 1993, the amount of people we’ve helped is getting on for 80,000,’ he 10 | drinkanddrugsnews | October 2016 says. ‘About 1,000 people a year are coming in presenting with addiction to painkillers.’ They range in age from 18 to 69, and three-quarters are female. ‘About 95 per cent of the products they are addicted to are codeine-based painkillers,’ he adds, with Nurofen Plus overtaking Solpadeine Plus as the pill of choice. ‘The reason is quite simple – Nurofen Plus has 12.8mg of codeine in it, compared to 8mg, so you get more for your money.’ The amount of tablets being taken varies from six to 74 day – ‘a dose that would kill me and would kill you’. In this case, the woman gradually increased her intake to 12 tablets six times a day, with a couple more doses in the night, and came to Over-Count ‘as a last resort’. In this extreme case, Grieve gave the woman a letter to take to her doctor, to help her get immediate medical support and liver function tests. For others, www.drinkanddrugsnews.com