Health

Diazepam warning over batches of fake drugs flooding into UK as more Brits self-medicate online


EXPERTS are warning over illegal diazepam as more Brits turn to the internet in an attempt to self-medicate.

New figures obtained by the BBC found the number of pills entering the UK from overseas has more than doubled in a year.

 Experts are warning over illegal diazepam flooding the UK

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Experts are warning over illegal diazepam flooding the UKCredit: Getty – Contributor

Border Force staff intercepted 1.3 million diazepam tablets in the postal system in 2018 – up from 545,000 in 2017.

Doctors warn that the authenticity of these drugs can’t be trusted – and possessing them without a prescription is illegal.

The Victoria Derbyshire programme visited a Border Force hub in central England where pills ordered online arrive from across the globe.

Super-strength

Officers said they found some diazepam pills laced with fentanyl – a potent prescription painkiller which is more powerful than morphine and could be potentially fatal.

The show also tested three batches of the drug which they had bought online and found two contained diazepam, but one contained flualprazolam – an unlicensed drug that is more powerful and addictive.

It is not known how many people are buying illegal or fake diazepam online, however it appears to be significant enough for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to have made seizures a priority in the past year.

Self-medicating

The drug – also known by its brand name Valium – is a class C drug in the UK, and is commonly used to treat anxiety, muscle spasms and seizures.

But experts say people with mental health issues are increasingly self-medicating by buying diazepam illegally online.

It’s becoming such a problem that an organisation known as the Addiction to Online Medicine Service (Atom) has been set up by the Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust.

People are experiencing high anxiety or severe depression or sometimes chronic pain and they find that these drugs make them feel better

Dr Owen Bowden-Jonesconsultant psychiatrist

Dr Owen Bowden-Jones, Atom’s consultant psychiatrist, told the BBC: “The internet has been a game-changer.

“People are experiencing high anxiety or severe depression or sometimes chronic pain and they find that these drugs make them feel better and their dose just goes up and up and up.”

‘More dangerous that heroin’

He warned that coming off high doses of diazepam could be more dangerous that heroin withdrawal.

Dr Bowden-Jones added: “If people are addicted to it and they stop suddenly, then they are at risk of having a seizure and of course that could potentially be life-threatening.”

The MHRA said selling prescription-only medicines outside of the legal supply chain was a serious criminal offence.

It said: “Diazepam is scheduled under the Misuse of Drugs Act and classified as a prescription-only medicine for a reason.

Prescription medicines are – by their very nature – potent and must be prescribed by a healthcare professional

MHRA

“Prescription medicines are – by their very nature – potent and must be prescribed by a healthcare professional based on their clinical judgement and access to patient records.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “Border Force, the National Crime Agency, police and other law enforcement organisations work together with international partners to protect our borders from a range of threats, including harmful substances, and to disrupt and prosecute organised crime groups.”

Tragic death

It comes as the inquest was held into the death of a teenager who stepped out in front of a lorry after taking an illegal extra-strength anxiety drug.

Grace Brockelsby, 19, was killed instantly by the truck after taking Etizolam – a banned extra-strength anxiety pill known as ‘street valium’.

A post mortem revealed therapeutic levels of prescribed medication but also the presence of Etizolam – ten times more potent than the diazepam Grace was already taking.

Etizolam has been the subject of public health warnings from police in Scotland where it is known as “street valium” and where its use has become widespread.

It is unlicensed in the UK where it is classified as an illegal Class C drug.





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