Patients puts off as GPs being paid to prescribe statins

Patients are being put off amidst concerns over GPs being paid to prescribe statins. The potentially life-saving medication that can lower cholesterol to avoid heart attacks and strokes is often scrutinised by patients over financial incentives GPs reportedly receive for handing them out.

There’s apparently a widely-held belief among Brits that the statins they’re given aren’t needed because of GPs being paid to prescribe statins.

Is this just a case of mistrust over GPs being paid to prescribe statins, or should patients be worried about what they’re GPs are telling them to do?

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Gosport Hospital Deaths tragedy

The Gosport Hospital deaths scandal is an absolute tragedy. The independent inquiry that families have been calling for for decades has finally taken place, and the outcome is disturbing.

According to the independent report, some 450 Gosport Hospital deaths could have been avoided and have been directly linked to dangerous opioid-use policies where patients were subjected to constant dosages of diamorphine; also known as heroine.

Dr Jane Barton, a GP who worked at Gosport Hospital for 12 years, was found to have routinely overprescribed dangerous and life-shortening opioids to patients which has led to potentially hundreds of premature deaths.

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Advice on No Win, No Fee claims for NHS drug errors

NHS drug errors can leave patients suffering serious harm, and they can also cause fatalities. Even the smallest error with a dosage or a prescription could be the difference between life and death for some, which is why the government are aiming to drastically reduce what they have labelled as “appalling levels of harm and death” related to drug errors.

We advise and represent patients who have suffered harm because of NHS drug errors. From incorrect prescription dosage claims to clients being prescribed the wrong course of treatment… If you’ve suffered harm due to an NHS drug error, you may have a claim for medical negligence.
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Scientists say anti-depressants work, and more people should be offered them

A recent study published by Lancet says that anti-depressants work, and its believed more than a million extra people should be offered them.

Results from the studies found that all common anti-depressants were more effective than the placebos offered.

There is, however, a reported reluctance to prescribe them, and many people feel that taking pills for low mood problems are a last resort. Will the new studies serve to allay doctors’ concerns about over-prescribing medication?
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Doctors concerned people addicted to prescription drugs may not be receiving enough help

America is currently suffering with what is widely reported as an “opioid crisis” off the back of what some have alleged is a simple case of over-prescribing medications to patients for an array of ailments that can be treatable by other means. In the UK, there are concerns that doctors are relying on prescription drugs too much to treat people with ailments or issues they could use alternative help for, and the upshot is patients getting addicted to such medication.

Whether it’s a case that the dangers of such medications need to be better explained or better controlled, or where it’s down to the need to prescribe less medication – or both – doctors are worried that the lack of help for patients hooked on drugs is putting lives at risk.
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NHS statistics say we are obese, sedentary and drug-reliant

According to the latest report from our National Health Service, we are statistically obese; spend way too much time sat down; and take far too many prescribed drugs.

So, just to reiterate, many of us overeat, barely do enough exercise, unless it’s walking towards the fridge and back which then creates health problems that leads to us apparently swallowing prescribed pills like they’re mints and thus contributing towards the nation’s growing drug-dependency problem.

Much like the reported opioid crisis in America, the U.K. may not be far behind a similar drugs crisis either…
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Calls for people to stop using – or reduce the use of – antibiotics

The ‘Keep Antibiotics Working’ campaign is urging patients not to ask their GP or doctor for antibiotics in a bid to tackle the reported growing resistance to the medicine.

When we have an infection, antibiotic treatments can help to kill the bacteria. However, around 5,000 people reportedly die each year in England because antibiotics don’t work for some infections because they’ve grown a resistance to the medicine.

The campaign was launched by Public Health England in recognition that overuse of antibiotics – and other factors – has helped infections strengthen their resistance to the medicines.
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Serious side-effect warnings may be getting diluted on medication labels

Pharmaceuticals have a responsibility to tell doctors and users about any side-effects a drug might have.

But what if the list contains over 20 or 30 potential side-effects?

Even when just taking a paracetamol tablet we may be faced with a long list of potential reactions and potential problems of varying degrees. Are pharmaceutical companies doing this to cover their backs, or are they doing it to confuse the user by downplaying the risks?

Some are suggesting the latter…
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U.S. to take steps to tackle the opioid crisis – will U.K. follow suit on medication problems?

The U.S. has reportedly acknowledged the problem of quadrupling opioid-related deaths, as well as the fact they now account for the majority of fatal overdoses. It’s been declared as a national public health emergency.

Various federal institutions are to be involved in taking measures to combat the problem. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will require pharmaceutical drug companies that make prescription opioids to “provide more training to prescriber’s”.

As Britain faces its own battles with the overuse of prescription medication – including opioids – will we see similar action here?
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A reported 22% increase in fatal drug overdoses involving Fentanyl in just one year

Plagued by a reported opioid crisis, the U.S. has released national statistics on drug-related deaths, revealing staggering results that reflect the country’s problems.

In the last year alone, the U.S reports a death toll of 64,000 for people who suffered fatal overdoses.

Here in the U.K., the Office for National Statistics puts the figure for deaths involving substance abuse at 952, which is a significant increase from 579 just five years ago. Irrelevant of whether our death-rates are nowhere near as bad as the U.S. or not, the issue is that the U.K. could be headed in a similar direction to the U.S. when it comes to medicinal drug overuse and problems, and this cannot be ignored.
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Attempts to tackle opioid crisis by limiting prescriptions

There are plans to reportedly limit the “number and strength” of opioid drugs for first-time users. The decision is based on an attempt to curb a reported “epidemic” where many are thought to be subject to over-prescription of opioids, resulting in reliance and dependency on the powerful drug.

Patients prescribed the drug for the first time are set to only be given a seven-day prescription as part of plans to tackle this growing problem.

Whilst the topic of overusing opioids is hot in America, it’s also being hugely debated here too. In the U.K., we’re also reportedly facing an epidemic of overusing prescription medications.
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Do you know what side effects your over-the-counter medication has?

Whilst medication purchased over-the-counter are generally accepted as safe for use, some regulators worldwide are noting that more and more hospital admissions and deaths are being linked to overuse or misuse of over-the-counter drugs.

These drugs are generally seen as safe when used for their intended purpose, but the issue is that they can sometimes “interact negatively” with other drugs, alcohol and any pre-existing conditions the user may have.

It’s also thought that some people are using over-the-counter medications for purposes that they’re not specifically intended for because they can produce some “benefits”. That being said, this can be fraught with dangers.
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