In the last decade, prescriptions for opioid medicines have increased by more than 60 per cent in England and Wales, reaching 23 million last year. This is worrying, and not just because they’re highly addictive: they also often don’t work for many types of chronic pain.
Common opioids include morphine, codeine, tramadol, oxycodone and fentanyl, which are derived from opium or synthetic versions. These are analgesic medicines, which work by reducing the pain messages sent to the brain, but they also have a sedative effect and can affect breathing.