Table 2.
Duration of prescribing by medicine class using latest estimated retrospective duration in months at March, 2018, and those in receipt of a prescription for 12 months or more, overall and by sex, age group, and deprivation
| Antidepressants | Opioids | Gabapentinoids | Benzodiazepines | Z-drugs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| People estimated to have a prescription in March, 2018* | ||||||
| All | 4 480 468 | 2 344 177 | 854 165 | 419 564 | 364 258 | |
| Sex† | ||||||
| Male | 1 489 501 | 873 463 | 329 201 | 148 923 | 136 947 | |
| Female | 2 987 201 | 1 468 290 | 524 719 | 270 091 | 226 947 | |
| Age, years‡ | ||||||
| 18–24 | 212 161 | 27 466 | 9653 | 7545 | 5969 | |
| 25–44 | 1 108 877 | 336 188 | 143 273 | 80 239 | 60 940 | |
| 45–64 | 1 807 506 | 896 241 | 373 084 | 141 001 | 131 373 | |
| 65–74 | 687 213 | 517 011 | 163 880 | 78 783 | 70 279 | |
| ≥75 | 659 978 | 564 629 | 164 012 | 111 421 | 95 322 | |
| IMD quintile§ | ||||||
| 1 (least deprived) | 959 309 | 399 703 | 148 980 | 94 604 | 86 062 | |
| 2 | 992 394 | 471 107 | 170 902 | 96 463 | 81 646 | |
| 3 | 931 730 | 494 277 | 181 227 | 87 809 | 76 019 | |
| 4 | 887 519 | 520 861 | 187 442 | 79 492 | 66 515 | |
| 5 (most deprived) | 716 610 | 462 495 | 167 392 | 62 111 | 54 749 | |
| People estimated to have been in receipt of a prescription for more than 12 months | ||||||
| All | 2 335 779 (52·1%) | 1 171 313 (50·0%) | 455 502 (53·3%) | 211 546 (50·4%) | 194 203 (53·3%) | |
| Sex† | ||||||
| Male | 771 857 (51·8%) | 425 522 (48·7%) | 178 663 (54·3%) | 73 628 (49·4%) | 70 626 (51·6%) | |
| Female | 1 563 667 (52·3%) | 745 691 (50·8%) | 276 793 (52·8%) | 137 898 (51·1%) | 123 559 (54·4%) | |
| Age, years‡ | ||||||
| 18–24 | 50 925 (24·0%) | 4915 (17·9%) | 3143 (32·6%) | 1043 (13·8%) | 663 (11·1%) | |
| 25–44 | 448 292 (40·4%) | 140 571 (41·8%) | 68 758 (48·0%) | 28 163 (35·1%) | 23 050 (37·8%) | |
| 45–64 | 981 733 (54·3%) | 469 309 (52·4%) | 203 062 (54·4%) | 72 229 (51·2%) | 71 794 (54·6%) | |
| 65–74 | 425 769 (62·0%) | 273 010 (52·8%) | 88 830 (54·2%) | 45 335 (57·5%) | 41 454 (59·0%) | |
| ≥75 | 428 853 (65·0%) | 283 417 (50·2%) | 91 666 (55·9%) | 64 760 (58·1%) | 57 230 (60·0%) | |
| IMD quintile§ | ||||||
| 1 (least deprived) | 467 779 (49·0%) | 183 621 (46·2%) | 73 590 (49·7%) | 41 683 (44·3%) | 42 362 (49·4%) | |
| 2 | 507 084 (51·3%) | 227 350 (48·5%) | 88 336 (51·9%) | 46 400 (48·4%) | 42 187 (52·0%) | |
| 3 | 483 289 (51·5%) | 247 805 (49·8%) | 95 994 (52·6%) | 44 969 (50·7%) | 41 417 (54·0%) | |
| 4 | 477 994 (53·7%) | 271 009 (51·9%) | 103 345 (55·0%) | 43 407 (54·5%) | 37 487 (56·2%) | |
| 5 (most deprived) | 404 173 (56·4%) | 244 549 (52·9%) | 95 347 (57·0%) | 35 708 (57·5%) | 31 258 (57·1%) | |
Data are n (%); percentages are of the total (restricted by age, sex, or IMD quintile, as applicable) estimated to have a prescription in March, 2018, by medicine class. IMD=Indicators of Multiple Deprivation.
Includes individuals who did not have a dispensed prescription reported in March, 2018, but had one reported in the months either side.
Analysis excludes cases (≤0·1%) in which sex was not available.
Analysis excludes cases (≤0·1%) in which no valid age record was available.
Analysis from general practice data and excludes cases in which no IMD score was available.