The consequences of online prescribing

Online prescribing has been a topic of both great interest and concern within the prescribing community for some time. It came to the forefront of mainstream healthcare news recently when a 41-year old women died after obtaining an opioid prescription online (Kirkland, 2019).

The NHS website clearly states that ‘medication should only be taken under the supervision of a healthcare professional. Their guidance on whether a medication is suitable for you, the dosage, possible side effects, and any harmful interactions with other medications is crucial’ (NHS Choices, 2018). In the case of this patient, her GP had begun prescribing opiates in 2008 to relieve back pain. He subsequently tried to wean her off over time – unfortunately, because of the availability of the medication via an online prescriber, the patient was able to purchase drugs prescribed by doctors through UK online pharmacy websites, as well as a smaller dosage (to wean off) from her regular GP.