Man says GP refused repeat painkiller prescription

A Lincolnshire man who suffers from infrequent but severe gall bladder pain says he can no longer obtain medication he relies on during flare-ups after his GP practice refused to issue a repeat prescription.

Paul Sutton, 65, from the Mablethorpe area, was prescribed the painkiller co-dydramol in hospital, but when his packet of tablets expired he says his GP practice refused to prescribe any more.

NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said co-dydramol is on its "red-red" list and is not recommended for routine prescribing.

A spokesperson for Marisco Medical Practice said it could not comment on an individual patient's care, but said the practice follows local prescribing guidance.

Sutton was first prescribed the medication in 2023, when he was referred to hospital for multiple health conditions.

He said he has since taken co-dydramol "a few times a year" when he had a flare-up of gall bladder inflammation.

He described the pain as "horrendous" and "all-encompassing".

Adding that during an attack: "I don't know whether to sit, stand, lie curled up in a ball. I can hardly speak with the pain."

When Sutton noticed the medication had gone past its expiry date, he requested another prescription from his GP, based in Mablethorpe.

He said he was told he "can't have any more" and the practice staff said "guidelines said it can only be prescribed in a hospital setting, it's not for general prescription to the public."

A spokesperson for the Marisco Medical Practice said: "For reasons of patient confidentiality, we would not be able to comment publicly on an individual patient's care."

They said the practice follows local ICB prescribing guidance, which lists co-dydramol as "not recommended for prescribing in either primary or secondary care".

Sutton said he feared without the medication, which costs about two pence a tablet, he would need to call an ambulance to take him to A&E.

In 2019, the Department of Health announced all opioid medicines in the UK would carry prominent warnings on their labels, amid rising cases of addiction to prescription painkillers.

In 2024/25, NHS figures showed opioid drugs, including co-dydramol, were the most prescribed type of dependency-forming medicines, with 39 million items prescribed annually at a cost of £270m

Although the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance aimed at reducing the risk of opioid dependence in patients, it says its guidance does not prevent healthcare professionals from prescribing co-dydramol.

A spokesperson for NHS Lincolnshire ICB said the decision to include co-dydramol on its "red-red" list is "informed by clinical evidence, relevant NICE guidance and local clinical opinion from consultants and GPs."

They said NICE "advises that combination analgesics, such as co-dydramol, should be avoided as first-line treatment" and the "Lincolnshire Prescribing and Clinical Effectiveness Forum (PACEF) Review Opioid Analgesia Regularly (ROAR) guidance advises that long-term opioid use is generally not recommended for chronic (persistent) non-cancer pain."

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