More pharma labels are being printed for painkillers as people increasingly seek them on prescription.
According to data analysis firm SSentif, which analysed data from the NHS Information Centre and the Office for National Statistics, more than £440 million was spent on 2010 on analgesics.
This amounted to £8.80 per person, although the figure was higher in the north of England than the south.
However, some of the medication given out on prescription is available over the counter.
Judy Aldred, managing director of SSentif, said: "Although the figures involved were comparatively low, it was concerning to see products such as Lemsip and even Alka-Seltzer XS offered on prescription."
It is thought that the recession is encouraging people to go to the doctor to get drugs more cheaply than they would be available from the chemist, while more people are now unemployed and therefore have more time to go to their GP.
Recent NHS data showed that 927 million prescriptions with pharma labels were collected in 2010, up nearly 70 per cent on the same figures from 2000.
Denny Bros Ltd, 10 November 2011
