Lord Markham, the Department of Health and Social Care, has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (HL3162):
Question by Lord Alton of Liverpool:
To ask His Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number prescriptions for fluoxetine and nortriptyline issued in England each year since 2014 to patients under the age of 18. (HL3162)
Tabled on: 11 March 2024
Answer:
Lord Markham:
The tables below show the total of prescription items for patients aged under 18 who were prescribed fluoxetine or nortriptyline for the partial year of April–Dec 2015, and then full calendar years 2016–23.
The NHS Business Services Authority does not hold patient level data prior to April 2015.
This information is extracted from ePACT2, using British National Formulary chemical substance, prescribed in England that are then dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
| Total number of items issued for Fluoxetine Hydrochloride | |
| Time Period | Total items issued to age range (Under 18) |
| Part year 2015 (Apr – Dec) | 91,685 |
| 2016 | 126,193 |
| 2017 | 129,205 |
| 2018 | 136,275 |
| 2019 | 143,271 |
| 2020 | 147,555 |
| 2021 | 155,398 |
| 2022 | 156,324 |
| 2023 | 149,839 |
| Total number of items issued for Nortriptyline | |
| Time Period | Total items issued to age range (Under 18) |
| Part year 2015 (Apr – Dec) | 1,481 |
| 2016 | 1,931 |
| 2017 | 1,673 |
| 2018 | 1,514 |
| 2019 | 1,616 |
| 2020 | 1,599 |
| 2021 | 1,777 |
| 2022 | 1,758 |
| 2023 | 1,915 |
Prescriptions do not state the purpose for which they are written, so there may be instances where medicines are used for other conditions.
Many medicines, including medicines used to treat depression, are licensed and prescribed for other conditions. The Department expects prescribers to always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed.
Date and time of answer: 22 Mar 2024 at 11:58.
