The International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal welcomed the publication yesterday of the NHS England Framework for Action Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms.
PRESS RELEASE FROM IIPDW…
The International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal (www.iipdw.org) welcomes the publication, today, of the NHS England Framework for Action ‘Optimising personalised care for adults prescribed medicines associated with dependence or withdrawal symptoms’
This framework advises Integrated Care Boards and GPs on how to provide safe deprescribing services for people experiencing prescribed drug dependence and withdrawal, and how to identify patients who would benefit from gradually coming off their medicines.
The framework implements some, but not all, of the recommendations made in Public Health England’s 2019 Prescribed Medicines Review, which found that one in four of adults in England are prescribed dependency forming drugs annually.
For example, currently 8 million people are being prescribed antidepressants. Research has established that about one in four will experience severe withdrawal symptoms when they reduce or come off.
(Davies and Read, 2019) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30292574/
The new framework highlights the ‘Lived and professional Experience Advisory Panel for Prescribed Drug Dependence’ (LEAP https://leap4pdd.org/) which is designed to facilitate NHS commissioners to be guided by people with lived experience of withdrawal.
Dr John Read, Chair of IIPDW, a member of the advisory group supporting NHS England’s development of the framework, and Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of East London, said:
‘This framework positions this country on the cutting edge of the international movement to acknowledge the epidemic of over prescribing of drugs like antidepressants, benzodiazepines and painkillers, and the fact that millions of people have for decades been experiencing severe withdrawal effects with no support whatsoever.’
Stevie Lewis, a Board Member of IIPDW, and a member of LEAP – as someone with experience of withdrawal from antidepressants, commented:
‘The framework marks an historic step forward. For it to be successful, however, GPs and psychiatrists urgently need to be trained in how to support those people who want to come off their drug, so they can taper gradually and slowly. We also need to immediately implement Public Health England’s call for a national help line and website so there is full information on this issue in the public domain.’
The framework has also been welcomed by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence (www.prescribeddrug.org).
For more information contact: stevie.lewis2014@btinternet.com 07881 822566
or j.read2@uel.ac.uk 07944 853783
For information on the All-Party Parliamentary Group: lukemontagu@me.com
For information on LEAP: dr.anneguy@prescribeddrug.org
