Affiliations: [a] St Martin’s College, Brentwood, UK | [b] Medical School, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom | [c] Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Joanna Moncrieff, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK. E-mail: j.moncrieff@ucl.ac.uk
Abstract: BACKGROUND:The prescription opioid epidemic in the United States (US) is well documented, and recent measures have reduced prescribing rates in that country. Evidence suggests opioid prescriptions have been rising recently in other countries too. OBJECTIVE:The current paper aimed to compare trends in opioid prescribing in England and the US. METHODS:Trends in rates of prescriptions per 100 members of the population were calculated for England and the US using publicly available government data on prescriptions and population statistics. RESULTS:Rates of prescribing are converging. At the peak of the US epidemic in 2012, there were 81.3 prescriptions per 100 people, but this had fallen to 43.3 by 2020. Prescribing peaked in England in 2016 at 43.2 prescriptions per 100 people, but has fallen only slightly, so that in 2020 there were 40.9 prescriptions per 100 people. CONCLUSION:The data indicate that levels of opioid prescribing in England are now similar to those in the US. They remain high in both countries, despite recent falls. This suggests the need for further measures to prevent over-prescribing and to support people who would benefit from withdrawing from these drugs.
