Pain
The Use of Opioids Within UK
The use of opioids in the UK is the third highest in the world. The use of controlled drugs in the UK is not limited to just a section of the society. Prescription opioids are the third most used substance after alcohol and tobacco.
What are Opioids and their Use?
Generally, if you have been prescribed Opioids in the UK by a doctor, it would be for controlling your pain levels. Opioid usage in the UK can include chronic pain as well as many other pain conditions such as Fibromyalgia and etc.
You may be wondering “What are Opioids?“.
They are morphine based drugs, which are used as a form of treatment for moderate – severe pain. An example of when you may get prescribed opioids would be after a surgery/trauma you have experienced. Doctors who prescribe opioids manage the dosage levels, reducing it throughout the treatment plan. Although Opioids seem to have their own use, the chance of addiction is extremely high.
There was a campaign which was launched by a number of researchers from the University of Leeds, University of Manchester and NHS Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Group, West Yorkshire. It ensures General Practitioners (GP’s) would have to “think-twice” before prescribing a patient opioid medicine. The study was conducted for over a year. One key point to take away is that it had resulted in 15,000 fewer patients being prescribed opioids. This benefitted the NHS in a positive way – net saving them £700,000. The study was conducted in West Yorkshire, alone. If this was conducted throughout the UK, there would be a possibility of saving the NHS millions of pounds. It could also reduce the number of patients taking opioids-based medicine.
Opioids Usage in the UK:
Currently, the NHS are prescribing opioids when it comes to pain management treatments. However, whenever a patient gets prescribed opioids, they are informed that there are potential side effects such as addiction, nausea and etc. These side effects can lead to long term issues. Opioids usage within the UK is seemingly increasing throughout the years. The lack of treatment other than opioids being available for pain management, on the NHS is a cause of concern.
Addiction is one of the main concerns when referring to prescribing opioids. For example, in the US, they are currently experiencing an opioid crisis due to the number of patients that have ended up being hooked onto them. To fight this, in certain states, the use of cannabis has been legalised for medicinal purposes.
In comparison, the UK is seeming to head into the same direction. Opioid addiction is extremely common across multiple countries. The NHS only being able to prescribe opioids as a form of treatment could mean the UK would be heading in the same direction as the USA – in terms of reaching an opioid crisis, if it has not already.
There are a number of clinical trials currently taking place. All of which are attempting to gather enough evidence to prove medical cannabis can be prescribed for chronic pain. Although there is still a lack of evidence proving medical cannabis being a prevalent method of treatment, researchers believe it is a highly effective treatment compared to Opioids.
The Side Effects of Opioids:
Medical cannabis is used to provide relief to conditions such as chronic pain. Often, people that suffer from chronic pain may have tried all the conventional medicine available. Unfortunately nothing may have worked for them.
The side effects people usually get with conventional medicine such as opioids can be really extreme and difficult to manage. It can conflict with other underlying health conditions. For example, the use of opioids often leads to experiencing nausea. The intensity and duration of the nausea can cause serious discomfort and unbearable pain. Patients tend to find nausea so unbearable that they would much rather abandon primary pain management than endure nausea for the long term.
To effectively manage these side effects, medical cannabis can be used to help fight the side effects from using opioids. Medical cannabis, when regulated and controlled, can be used to help relieve these effects and provide an overall safe treatment in comparison to some of the conventional medicines out there. The cannabinoids contained within the flower, such as THC and CBD, both provide health benefits for chronic pain.
Read more on cannabinoids and their benefits here.
