David Freud Tuesday, 19 February 2008
DWP Ref ITA 2/08
Dear Mr Freud
I am Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Involuntary Tranquiliser Addiction, a group formed to draw attention to the continuing serious problem of ITA. In particular we are campaigning on the lack of withdrawal services for an estimated 1.5 million people with ITA who have become addicted to tranquilisers whilst in the care of their doctors. This is a different and separate group from drug misusers.
We believe there is a high co-relation between tranquiliser addiction and disability benefit that has not been recognised by government. Tranquilisers are extremely addictive and toxic. Addicts normally have to stop work because of numerous side effects including depression which progressively disable them as the drug builds up in their bodies. An unknown number of ex-addicts also remain damaged by these drugs after they have ceased ingestion.
Tranquilisers consist of benzodiazepines such as Valium, Mogadon and Ativan and the newer but similar zed drugs. They are more addictive than heroin and addiction can occur within two weeks. Safe, tapered withdrawal can often take six months and in some cases two years. The intense suffering and pain of tranquiliser withdrawal means that addicts often find they are unable to withdraw without specialist help and support and therefore many remain addicted and on benefits for decades.
No withdrawal services are provided by the NHS for Involuntary Tranquiliser Addiction apart from one clinic in Oldham and a specialist nurse in Belfast. Many people suffer chronic ill health and are unable to work because of the addiction to legally prescribed, powerful drugs which include tranquilisers but also anti-depressants and painkillers overprescribed by the medical profession.
The social cost of this ill-health is enormous and I agree that it is in the order of the magnitude of £62,000 as you are reported to have calculated. Anecdotally, many involuntary tranquiliser addicts have been in professional jobs and their skills are therefore lost to society.
A clear strategy for achieving your objective of returning people to work and removing them from benefits would include:
1 Provision by the NHS of withdrawal services to detox addicts from tranquilisers, followed by appropriate rehabilitation designed to return them to the workforce.
2 Enforcement of the MRHA and manufacturers’ guidelines for tranquilisers that restrict use to two weeks, as these guidelines are being ignored by doctors.
I would welcome a meeting to discuss these urgent issues and I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
Jim Dobbin MP
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