News | Addiction and substance misuse

News

NICE has ‘failed to listen to patient evidence’ on prescription drug withdrawal, claims parliamentary group

The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Prescribed Drug Dependence has criticised the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on its new guidance on tapered withdrawal of dependency-forming drugs.…

Published: 21 April 2022

Opinion

Why pairing up with a psychologist helped to reduce risky opioid prescribing

Pharmacist Lis Farquhar has found that working with psychologist Vivienne Laidler has allowed them to better approach their patients' reliance on opioids.…

Published: 11 April 2022

Opinion

Substance use and the environment: time for pharmacy to step up

Pharmacy has the ability to better support people who use substances, while simultaneously acting sustainably.…

Published: 4 April 2022

News

More than 1,000 patients stopped taking antidepressants after introduction of local deprescribing guidelines

Exclusive: Guidelines published in 2021 have helped Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group move from having the fifth highest antidepressant prescribing rate in the country to the eighth highest.…

Published: 28 March 2022

News

Scottish drug-related deaths fall for first time in five years

According to a Police Scotland report, there were 116 fewer suspected drug-related deaths in Scotland in 2021, compared with 2020.…

Published: 16 March 2022

Opinion

It is time to act on the inequalities in treatment for substance misuse among LGBTQ+ people

Pharmacy staff are well placed to improve the healthcare experience for people in the LGBTQ+ community, a group that is often more susceptible to substance misuse.…

Published: 7 March 2022

News

Government pledges more than £500m to boost drug treatment services in England

The funding is part of a ten-year plan to address drug misuse and reduce drug-related deaths.…

Published: 8 December 2021

News

NICE draft guidance on medicines associated with dependence could be ‘harmful’, warns RPS

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's response to a consultation says guidance on “slow tapering” is “open to too much interpretation”.…

Published: 7 December 2021

Opinion

How we became the top naloxone-supplying pharmacy in the country

How one pharmacy’s no-nonsense approach to naloxone supply has helped to build vital trust in the community and potentially save lives.…

Published: 15 November 2021

News

Government still ‘assessing evidence’ for helpline on prescription drug dependence, two years after PHE recommendation

Exclusive: In response to a query from The Pharmaceutical Journal on the development of a prescribed drug dependence helpline, the Department of Health and Social Care has said it is still assessing the evidence.…

Published: 1 November 2021