Online painkillers could kill more than pain

EXPERTS HAVE issued a warning after discovering the wide availability of strong painkillers over the internet without the need for a prescription.

A team from Edinburgh University found a shocking 35 websites which sell prescription-only pain drugs to UK surfers – without asking for proof of prescription.

The Government regulators have warned of the extreme danger of this kind of purchase, as some could have deadly consequences.

The research showed that when using search engines like Google and Yahoo you can come up with 100 sites willing to sell these drugs to UK consumers.

Around 50 percent of these sell prescription only painkiller – yet 76 percent didn’t ask for proof of a valid prescription.

Six tried to be moral by asking for a prescription but accepted a fax or email copy which, of course, could be easily forged or modified.

Available drugs included opioids such as tramadol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, such as naproxen and celecoxib, which are usually prescribed for conditions such as arthritis.

The problem, outlined the study, is that some of these medicines need to be taken alongside other drugs in order to be safe, and when taken by the wrong person some can actually be lethal.

One drug which has been removed from the market in the UK – co-proxamol – was available from three websites.

Study author Professor David Webb said, "We were surprised at how many sites you could go to and find, in some cases, quite potent painkillers that have addictive potential and that you could get them without prescription."

He added that although regulators are aware of this problem, it is not one they can easily manage.

A spokeswoman for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, said, "We strongly advise people that buying drugs or slimming products from the internet is not a good idea, unless buying from a website that has a Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) internet pharmacy logo.

"At best you will be wasting your money and at worst they could be deadly.”

The results appear in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. µ

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