Hitting the bottle

You get a cough so you take some cough syrup. For most, it's cheap, effective and risk free. But for an ever-growing number of people it's the start of an addiction that can lead to severe illness, even death. And it's a problem that now affects thousands in the UK.

No official statistics exist. But David Grieve, founder of Over Count - a self-help group for over-the-counter (OTC) drug addicts - estimates the number of people with a dependency on liquid-based cough and cold remedies exceeds 10,000.

If you include all OTCs - from Nurofen to Nytol - that number exceeds 35,000. And Grieve believes that figure will double by the end of the decade,

'The problem is definitely getting worse,' says Grieve. 'More and more people are coming forward with problems, despite the stigma attached.'

This stigma is, Grieve explains, one of the major difficulties in tackling the issue, as it makes sufferers reluctant to seek help from their local medical services.

Prescription addiction

'I've dealt with doctors, teachers, TV personalities and even a High Court judge,' says Grieve. 'People with these problems are not the stereotypical drug users. Yet when they seek help, they get referred to the same centres as heroin addicts, and they don't want to be seen there.'

Addiction treatment centres appear unsure of how to deal with OTC medicine dependency, and there are no programmes geared towards it. This is despite a 1997 British Medical Association report on the misuse of drugs, which devoted an entire chapter to the problem and suggested the setting up of a training and awareness programme for every GP in the country, along with other recommendations. So far, not one has been implemented.

For Grieve, this is indicative of the medical establishment's unwillingness to take the problem seriously. And he says the Government's policy of encouraging self-medication while increasing the number of drugs available over the counter, to take pressure off GPs, will only make things worse.

But a Department of Health spokesman said: 'We are not aware of frequent misuse of OTC medicines. While the idea is to make more medicines available over the counter, it is only done after years of research into the safety risks. All those that are made available are clearly labelled with warnings about exceeding the recommended dosage.'

Cold comfort

This is not enough for Grieve, who says fewer drugs should be available without prescription, and many of those that are need to have clear warnings about the addictive substances contained within. Sheila Kelly is executive director of the Propriety Association of Great Britain (PAGB), the body that represents manufacturers of over-the-counter medicines. She believes we need to keep things in proportion.

'OTC medicines are effective and safe, when used properly,' she says. 'Millions of people have used these products safely and effectively over the years and it is important they continue to have that freedom. We should not let misuse or abuse by a small minority take away that right.'