I used to put suicide notes to my family under my pillow each night because I knew what I was doing could kill me,鈥� says , a former painkiller addict. 鈥淚 was taking an amount that could have floored an elephant.鈥�
Kemp had begun taking fentanyl lozenges 鈥� a potent opioid pain medication 鈥� after a long bout of pancreatitis. She left hospital with a prescription for eight pills a day. But this climbed until two years later she was on 60 a day.
In between doses, withdrawal symptoms included violent muscle cramps, shaking and nausea 鈥� even hallucinations. 鈥淚 was displaying classic addict behaviour, hiding lozenges around my cottage in case I ran out.鈥�
Advertisement
Kemp had to plead with her doctor to continue the high doses. 鈥淭here was a strange dance between me and him. He knew very quickly I was an addict, and I knew he knew.鈥� But she would do anything to get that prescription. 鈥淚 would shout and scream in his office. I would lie to him about pain attacks.鈥�
After trying to help her with other forms of pain relief, such as electro-acupuncture, which were unsuccessful, Kemp鈥檚 GP eventually refused point blank to write any more prescriptions. 鈥淎t that point I could have gone on to heroin,鈥� she says. Instead, she borrowed money to book herself into a rehab clinic and succeeded in coming off the drug. 鈥淚鈥檓 one of the lucky ones.鈥�
George Ryan from Public Health England says GPs need to be educated about the risks of addiction to opioid painkillers 鈥� and that the drugs become ineffective when used long-term (see 鈥�Addiction to prescription drugs is UK 鈥榩ublic health disaster鈥�.
But he points out that the typical 10-minute appointment slot that the NHS allocates to patients, doesn鈥檛 allow time for the long discussions needed. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e running an hour behind it鈥檚 very tempting to reach for the prescription pad,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e have all done it.鈥�
听
