In the time it’s taken you to read this sentence, GPs in the north of Scotland will have prescribed the equivalent of one pack of paracetamols.
In the next 24 hours, they’ll dish out a staggering 133,000 tablets.
And over the last year, these prescriptions in Grampian, the Highlands and Islands cost more than £1.1 million.
But with 16-packs of paracetamols available in the shops for as little as 29p a time, why are GPs prescribing so many?
How many people are being prescribed paracetamol?
Paracetamol is the second-most common drug prescribed by GPs in the region.
An average of 26,000 prescriptions of the 500mg tablets are fulfilled every month.
The only drug more popular is omeprazole, which helps control chronic heartburn.
But, when factoring in other types of the painkiller, the number soars higher.
Data for the north and north-east from June 2022 shows:
Capsules: 1,039 prescriptions, £6,819.72
Oral suspension: 1,899 prescriptions, £31,326.52
Suppositories: 2,959 prescriptions, £38,400.49
Tablets: 25,179 prescriptions, £100,478.80
Why do paracetamol prescriptions cost so much?
Looking at June again, a total of 24,536 prescriptions for 500mg paracetamol tablets were fulfilled across Grampian, Highland and the Islands.
The total cost was just under £94,000.
When broken down by tablet, however, this works out at roughly 0.4p each.
All of the prescriptions across the region in this month cost £15.6m – with paracetamol tablets making up just 0.6% of this spend.
But that doesn’t mean they’re exempt from potential cost-cutting.
Some GP clinics have advised patients not to ask their doctor for paracetamol, and to purchase it themselves instead.
Others are advising lifestyle changes to help reduce reliance on medication.
This can improve patients’ health and save the NHS money at the same time.
Why are people being prescribed paracetamol?
For some people with conditions like chronic pain or arthritis, they require regular paracetamol to help manage their health.
While the tablets can be picked up from the shop, this isn’t always practical for patients.
If someone requires the full dose of eight tablets a day, that means a pack of 16 will only last them 48 hours.
Aberdeen GP Emma Windle, who helps run Aberdeen Wellbeing Festival, explains: “There is a limit to the amount of paracetamol that people can buy over the counter.
“Even buying the two packets you’re allowed to buy at a time, you would still only have a four day supply.
“Often these patients struggle with mobility and getting to the shop every four days is not manageable.”
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