New campaign to reduce Fife’s higher than average levels of unnecessary pain medicine prescriptions
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
NHS Fife’s ‘Pain Talking’ campaign aims to reduce the unnecessary prescribing of high-risk medicines and promote other non-medicinal treatments available to help manage chronic pain.
Chronic or persistent pain is known to affect at least one in five adults in Scotland although recent evidence suggests that the true figure may be more than a third. The pain experienced can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHigh-risk pain medicines (HRPM) are regularly used in the treatment of chronic pain. These medicines include opioids like codeine and morphine, gabapentin and pregabalin which are used in the treatment of nerve pain, anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and naproxen and benzodiazepines like diazepam, sometimes used for muscle spasm. Not only do these medicines often come with side effects like drowsiness, constipation and nausea, longer-term use of some of them can also lead to physical dependence and create a greater risk of overdose.


The prescribing of HRPM in Fife has been consistently above the Scottish average in recent years. Some of these medications which are legitimately prescribed are also known to find their way into the hands of others and sold on for illicit use.
Deborah Steven, clinical pharmacist and programme director for the Pain Talking strategy, said of the initiative: “High-risk medicines have been used widely in the treatment of chronic pain over many years. Some patients find these medicines to be very effective and accept the possible side-effects due to the therapeutic benefits these offer. That’s okay with ongoing monitoring and review.
“There are very many patients though who have remained on these medicines for long periods, in some cases for years, without enough consideration being given to whether these still remain the most effective treatment for the individual person. It is then about us working in partnership with patients, making a thorough assessment and agreeing a way forward which considers the whole range of possible treatments available to them.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“Ultimately, our aim is to improve safety to individuals, and, by reducing unnecessary use of these medicines, avoiding them ending up on the street where we know they can cause drug-related harms and even deaths.”
There is growing evidence demonstrating that, while medicines continue to have a role to play in chronic pain management, other non-pharmacological approaches can help improve quality of life and lead to better health outcomes for patients. These enable people experiencing persistent pain to be empowered to take greater control and make decisions about their own pain management.
A new website has been created to provide support and education around the full range of treatment options available. Hazel Close, deputy director of pharmacy and medicines, said:: “Reducing the unnecessary use of high-risk pain medicines is a key corporate objective of NHS Fife. “The launch of our ‘Pain Talking’ initiative is the culmination of a significant amount work carried out over the last three years to help improve the safety of the medicines prescribed in Fife.
“What has now been created is a new and groundbreaking approach to pain management. This new approach provides greater support for patients experiencing chronic pain and enables patients to take greater control of their own pain management.”
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.