The results, published in the scientific journal BMC Psychiatry, are based on studies in five European countries – Denmark, Germany, the UK, Spain and Sweden – and include more than 22 000 (non-hospitalised) individuals between the ages of 12 and 49.
Abuse of addictive prescription drugs is increasing, and is at risk of becoming a major public health problem in Europe, as it has become in the United States, says Anders Håkansson, Associate Professor of Addictive Medicine at Lund University and physician at the Addiction Centre in Malmö, Sweden. Anderson Håkansson is responsible for the Swedish part of the study that shows that 11–12 per cent of Swedes have abused sedatives and strong painkillers, and these are the drugs that are the most common. Furthermore, six per cent have at some point abused ADHD drugs. In the majority of cases, the individuals receive, buy or steal the addictive drugs from their families and friends; however, a fairly large share of people buy drugs that have been classified as narcotics over the Internet.
The abuse creates a dependency, with a risk of resulting in psychiatric problems.
“In the US, the abuse of narcotic medicines is becoming an increasingly more common cause of death than the use of traditional illegal drugs. Even in Sweden, we often find prescriptive medication in people who have died from an overdose”, says Anders Håkansson.
The measurement methods used in the studies conducted in the US and the current European study differ, but a cautious conclusion is that the level of drug abuse is still lower in Europe than in the US. The message is that this is a major and growing problem, also in Europe, which requires vigilance and action. For instance, there needs to be more studies on the treatment of prescriptive drug addiction, as well as research on prescription patterns and attitudes about prescribing medicines.
“We must continue to work with a restrictive and more targeted prescription of narcotic drugs, taking into account the risks they pose to individuals and the people around them. Above all, conditions of pain, and psychiatric diseases and problems are to be treated with evidence-based methods, and by offering the right treatment to the right person, so as to avoid a rapid transition to drugs that are far too heavy. We also need studies of treatments in order to develop more evidence-based treatments for prescription drug addiction”, says Anders Håkansson.