Co-proxamol
Posted: Mon 31 January, 2005 Filed under: Health 868 Comments »Interesting to see today that the painkiller co-proxamol is to be scrapped. Apparently it’s been linked with up to 400 deaths per year and a study found it was the second biggest method of drug-related suicide in the UK, accounting for almost one in five deaths.
I’ve used co-proxamol before, and I can see why it’s easy to overdose on, either intentionally or accidentally. It’s a seriously heavy gun in the world of painkillers, and while it’s sad to see something so effective be withdrawn from the market, I can understand the reasons why it’s necessary to do so.
Have just been told by GP can’t have Co-proxamol anymore. He said he was being sat on to stop prescribing them for me. He gave me 50 to wean myself off.
If this is still an issue for so many people so many years after it was announced that it was going to be withdrawn, it’s not rocket science to realise that withdrawing the painkiller may have been a mistake. Anyone can produce statistics to show the death rate has reduced. I would be interested to know the exact numbers of patients who have been taken off co-proxamol and of them how many have found a satisfactory alternative.
Hi Twinkle,
Sorry didn’t reply – haven’t been on this site for some time and see it has a new look.
I haven’t had any coprox since that last time – I hoard them and only use them when I really need to, mostly getting by poorly with Paracetamol soluble which is all I can take.
I recently emailed P4U and they replied to say that they had no Coproxamol and would not be getting any in the future.
I have got them in the past from Offshorepharma, but haven’t looked at their site for a while.
Anyone else been having any luck recently?
Avril
Hi Aviril
No I haven’t had any luck either in my search for Co-prox.
Airmail Chemist sell them but they are very very expensive and
Instantcare4U came back on line for a few weeks and then
dissapeared again. I did try placing an order with IC4U but
the website wasn’t active so there was no payment option. I
dont really know why they came back again…just didn’t make
any sense. Offshore couldn’t supply my last order which was around the beggining of the year and I haven’t looked at their
website in ages. Like everyone else I keep looking on the net for Co-prox but at the moment its not looking good.
Please feel free to sign my petition on Twitter for fairer distribution of Co-proxamol. It is still being manufactured in the UK and some Doctors are still prescribing it.It still hinges on your Doctors confidence to prescribe it.I do not thimk this is fair,and this is not a condemnation or envious act against people still on them. Iapplaud them and their Doctors common sense and professionalism.Contact me at johnnyswaterson41@gmail.com.
Petition for fairer distribution of Co-proxamol.
Hi there Johnny I would love to sign your petition but I
need a link to the site.
It’s a Very Good idea and hope we can get some support
Twinkle
Where is everyone? Have you all found a better painkiller? !
Offshore Pharma appears to be closed. Anyone found a reliable source of Coproxamol? It’s been several years since I’ve been able to get it on NHS and things don’t get any easier.
I was offerred Fentanyl (Duragesic Patches) at one point but declined for reasons that are obvious if you have come across it! (Hint, the Pharmacist has to find her keys and unlock things to fill your prescription).
Hi Johnny, I’m with Twinkle, petition is good idea, will email you.
please we need this tablet do something
MY LATEST PETITION, PLEASE HELP BEFORE THE NHS FINALLY OBLITERATES THE CO-PROXAMOL “NAMED PATIENT” CATEGORY ALTOGETHER.
This is a copy of my Email I have sent to many organisations including; meconnect@meassociation.org.uk help@fibromyalgiasoutheast.org.ukenquiries@nras.org.uk
helplines@arthritiscare.org.uk and Julia George who presented the exceptional programme for BBC Breakfast. julia@bbc.co.uk
As all of the previous petitions have failed I’m hoping to have a more positive response as there is now positive proof that deaths with all of the most popular replacement drugs have risen drastically since the withdrawal of the licence for Co-proxamol.
Please help before the NHS finally obliterates the Co-proxamol “Named Patient” category altogether. This is certainly their intention according to this bulletin they have issued.
This prescQipp bulletin is regurgitating the same old nonsense originally distributed by the MHRA in 2004. This bulletin was prepared by Melitta Mudaly who holds the position of “Pharmacist Project Manager” I’m unsure if she has had any training in medicines or holds any medical qualifications. It’s quite possible she is just a professional “penny pincher” for the NHS. The PrescQipp DROP-List Bulletin was first issued to all prescribers in May 2013 and again in July 2015.
https://www.prescqipp.info/resources/finish/214-co-proxamol/658-bulletin-42-co-proxamol
Further evidence is shown in the attached PDF file “Policy Statement; Prescribing of Co-Proxamol is not supported” issued by Mid-Essex Clinical Commissioning Group which was issued in 2015.
With deaths involving tramadol continuing to rise year on year (240 deaths in 2014) I think the original suicide argument is now suspect and certainly questionable. Deaths from tramadol overdose have soared from just one in 1996 to 240 in 2014.
Deaths from codeine have risen from 60 in 2007 to 136 in 2014
Deaths from paracetamol & codeine compound have risen from 49 in 2007 to 136 in 2014
Deaths from other specified opiate have risen from 66 in 2007 to 129 in 2014
In 2004 the Committee on Safety of Medicines conducted a “RIGOROUS REVIEW” of the available evidence on the risks and benefits of co-proxamol.”
This “so called rigorous review” consisted of Approximately 365 Requests for Information Being Sent out with a Response of Just 52 Replies. (A little over 14%)
Lies, damned lies, and statistics! As a result of the information quoted by MHRA back in 2004 – 2005. Tens of thousands of patients had been left in complete despair and in some cases
un-medicated pain due to the inferior medications offered to them.
The demands from PATIENTS, MP’S, and DOCTORS pleading with the MHRA to review the Co-proxamol ban with many demanding the repair of the defective MHRA “Named Patient” system fell on deaf ears.
DID THE CSM / MHRA “RIGOROUS REVIEW” DELIBERATELY MISLEAD PARLIAMENT REGARDING THIS MATTER? OR DID PARLIAMENT SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT THE 14% RESPONSE TO THE CSM REQUEST FOR INFORMATION WAS SUFFICIENT AND THEIR FINDINGS TO BE A “GENUINE AND RIGOROUS REVIEW” OF ALL THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE ON THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF COPROXAMOL?
THE LICENCE FOR CO-PROXAMOL SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN REMOVED!
I would appreciate you promoting my petition at;
https://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-jeremy-hunt-mp-demand-that-co-proxamol-is-re-licensed
I would be grateful if you could forward this email to your many contacts in order to gain a successful petition.
Unfortunately The Link To The Petition Above isn’t working!
Please Copy & Paste This Link Into Your Browser
https://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-jeremy-hunt-mp-demand-that-co-proxamol-is-relicensed
Am so glad a petition has been started as I struggle since Nov, 2015 when pharmacy suddenly stopped my repeat prescription which I had been getting on a named patient basis;- The Clinical Commission group have refused to continue the prescription. I wonder if you have individually contacted people involved in the Battle back in 2007/8 when the named patient basis happened? If not I would make some contacts.
Hi J,
I’ve contacted many of my previous contacts without much success. I have also sent E-mail’s to many organisations including: – meconnect@meassociation, help@fibromyalgiasoutheast, enquiries@nras,
helplines@arthritiscare, pressoffice@arthritiscare Julia George julia@bbc, (she presented the exceptional programme for BBC Breakfast), my MP Paul Maynard, Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, and. panorama.reply@bbc. The only response so far was from my MP.
If you are still in contact with anyone please share and most importantly contact your MP.
Managed to get Anne Begg to sign, she was one of the MPs who fought to keep it back in 2007ish. Also have put it on one of the RA sights and collected a few signatures so far from there. Did you get hold of Howard Stoate the other excellent MP and GP who championed Co-Prox? I am realising that many people are wary of scams and need personal contact to ensure that they feel ok and are reassured that they won’t get loads of scam or spam.
Of course I have contacted my MP but maybe it would help to put individual requests on all the possible user sites and also when putting that add a request for people to contact their MPS and give a short outline suggestion of what they could say, so it’s an easy thing to do for those who are struggling through pain med fogs.
Hi J,
I’ve Just Drafted A Letter suitable to copy for MP’s.
I haven’t any contact details for Dr.Howard Stoate, although i have contacted Arthritis Care Again
I have also started a separate blog @: –
https://wordpress.com/read/post/feed/43502863/917674040
Please Read & forward on. Thanks for your help in promoting the cause
Dear……,
During 2004 the CSM/MHRA made a decision to advise the government the licence for Co-proxamol should be removed on the grounds of unacceptable levels of suicide.
As a result GP’s had to trial all their patients on alternative pain relief. At that time there were approximately 1.7 million patients being issued with a total of 7.5 million prescriptions for Coproxamol each year. Many patients found that all of the alternate analgesia to be either too strong, too weak, addictive, or with intolerable side effects.
When the MHRA delicensed the product at the end of December 2007 they admitted in published documentation that there would be “some” patients left without suitable alternate pain management, and guaranteed that these patients would be protected and their wellbeing made safe by their “Named Patient safety Net.” Simultaneously they introduced a policy that the “RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PRESCRIBING OF COPROXAMOL BY UK DOCTORS WOULD FALL ON THEM. This resulted in their insurers refusing to insure the doctors and the medical unions such as MDDUS who advised a blanket ban on any prescription for Coproxamol. Subsequently this left their “Named Patient Safety Net” in tatters, and ultimately resulted in thousands of patients being left to live without suitable pain management, or left to cope with unmedicated pain.
Many Patients, Doctors, and Consultants complained directly to MHRA about the failure of their “Named Patient” safety net for prescribing of Co-proxamol. Many patients who couldn’t find an accommodating GP tried to fight tooth & nail to find a GP who was courageous enough to ignore the pressures coming from their union and insurers and would continue to prescribe what was needed by their patients. Approximately 150,000 UK patients were lucky enough to find a doctor who was willing to go the “Named Patient” route, unfortunately the rest were forced to ACCEPT THE UNEXCEPTABLE.
On 27 June 2006 MHRA; Based on the review of the data on quality, safety and efficacy the UK granted a marketing authorisation for the medicinal product Tramadol 50mg Capsules (PL 17907/0110) to Bristol Laboratories Limited. Tramadol 50mg Capsules is a prescription only medicine. Was this another mistake made by MHRA? Because on the 13th Feb2013 the “Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs” sent a letter to Parliament Re- Tramadol (Dear Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Health)
Extract from letter;
“Prescribing data from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) indicate an increase in prescribing, with the number of Daily Defined Doses (England) increasing from approximately 5.9 million in September 2005 to 11.1 million in September 2012. This may be associated with Co-proxamol’s phased withdrawal from 2005. Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) for 2011 shows 154 deaths where tramadol had been mentioned on the death certificates; in 2009 there were 87 such mentions and in 2008 this figure was 83. The majority of tramadol related deaths are where it has been obtained through non–prescribed means.”
Tramadol presents interesting data in the UK; in 1996, England and Wales reported one death with the drug mentioned, but by 2011 there were 154 deaths. (Rising to 240 in 2014) In Scotland, tramadol-related deaths increased from eight in 2001 to 34 deaths in 2011. The increase in tramadol-related deaths may reflect a rise in tramadol prescriptions, thus availability, but also points to the need to monitor closely any increase in deaths caused by opioid analgesics because it may signal an emerging problem in the UK.
Co-codamol (paracetamol and codeine) increased by 21% in 2014 to a new high of 63 deaths.
Deaths involving Codeine increased from 130 in 2013 to 136 (2014)
Deaths involving other specified opiate increased From 93 in 2013 to 129 (2014)
June 2014 The Home Office issued an Urgent Communication (Rendering Tramadol a Controlled Drug.) Most Clinicians would have welcomed “Controlled Status” for Co-proxamol back in 2007!
Summary
2007 Deaths Where Co-proxamol was mentioned On Death Certificates 242
2014 Deaths Where Tramadol was mentioned On Death Certificates 240
WHAT WAS THE POINT OF BANNING CO-PROXAMOL?
16th November 2015 CCG’s informed GP’s to stop prescribing Co-proxamol as the price had increased again to £49.50. This now appears to have put the final nail in the coffin of the MHRA’s shambolic “named patients safeguard.”
The number of suicides in UK continues to increase, with male rate at its highest since 2001. The male suicide rate has increased significantly since 2007, the ONS said, while female rates have stayed relatively constant and were consistently lower than those for men.
UK deaths from alternate pain killers have also increased since the ban The MHRA appears to be in the same situation with Tramadol as they were with Co-proxamol back in 2004. Surely it’s now time for government to reconsider the Co-proxamol debate.
Yours sincerely
RE: I have also started a separate blog @: –
The previous blog has gone!
I have now posted on Patient Forum
http://patient.info/forums/discuss/co-proxamol-why-are-they-scrapping-the-the-named-patient-safety-net–497836
Really wished I could get co-proxamol! They helped me so much and I can see you have wen working so hard to get them back x
Any News on co-prox would be greatful
Thanks.
If you haven’t checked my petition recently https://www.change.org/p/rt-hon-jeremy-hunt-mp-demand-that-co-proxamol-is-relicensed
I have added several updates. My latest: –
‘MHRA IS A REPREHENSIBLE AND DISHONEST ORGANISATION AND HAS SCANT REGARD FOR PATIENT SAFETY & WELLBEING’
In the third comment I disclosed a chemist who dispenses Co-proxamol at a reasonable rate (considering the redundant NHS charge of £49.50 and Boots at £130.00 for 100 tablets)
Co-proxamol 32.5mg/325mg tablets (In Stock)
£0.32 x 200 (2 packs) £64.00
Delivery Charge £ 9.95
£73.95 for a six week supply
(Check for Discount Codes or Free Delivery Options)
I immediately thought I would forego my annual holiday in exchange for a good standard of pain relief without side effects, unfortunately my GP refused my request for a private prescription. The good news was two patients are already benefitting from this supply route.
Personally I’m convinced the monetary impact point of view is definitely nearer to the truth and for the first time I can see a chink of light at the end of the tunnel!
Best wishes,
Jim