Home / Health / Teen Painkiller Rx Leads to £100k Addiction
Teen Painkiller Rx Leads to £100k Addiction
13 May
Summary
- Prescribed strong painkillers at 16 for PCOS pain.
- Addiction escalated to heroin and crack cocaine.
- Clean for three years after unexpected pregnancy.
A prescription for strong painkillers at age 16 spiraled into a £100,000 addiction for Caitlin Atkins. Diagnosed with PCOS, she was prescribed tramadol and codeine phosphate in 2010. Initially managing pain, she soon abused the medication, rapidly increasing her dosage. This dependency led to sourcing more drugs online and eventually trying heroin in 2015.
Her addiction escalated to crack cocaine, with daily spending reaching up to £1,000. She funded this by begging family and using benefits. A move to Lanzarote in 2017 worsened her addiction, consuming 56 co-codamol tablets daily. Family intervention brought her home in December 2017, with warnings she was close to death.
Unexpectedly pregnant in 2022, Caitlin sought help at a dry house. She has now been clean for three years, crediting her son with saving her. The NHS warns that codeine and tramadol are highly addictive opioids, emphasizing the need for dose reviews.
