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Mr. Wardell
asked the Secretary of State for Wales what was the annual number of psychotropic drug prescriptions in Wales from 1970 to 1981.
Mr. Wyn Roberts
The information is readily available in a consistent format only for the years 1976 to 1980 and is as follows:
| Number of prescriptions by therapeutic class* | |||||
| Thousands | |||||
| 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | |
| Hypnotics | 1,132 | 1,149 | 1,163 | 1,231 | 1,149 |
| Sedatives and tranquillisers†‡ | 1,534 | 1,611 | 1,638 | 1,542 | 1,455 |
| CNS stimulants | 177 | 186 | 175 | 141 | 116 |
| CNS stimulants and depressant combinations | 9 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Anti-depressants≑ | 418 | 425 | 446 | 427 | 388 |
| Anti-depressants and sedative/tranquilliser combinations | 114 | 104 | 91 | 109 | 82 |
| * Estimates obtained from a sample of approximately 1 in 200 prescriptions dispensed. | |||||
| † Many substances classified as sedatives are capable of acting as hypnotics in higher doses and vice-versa. | |||||
| ‡ Includes Benzodiazepines such as librium and valium, the barbiturates which are major sedatives, and chlorpromazine and haloperidol which are major antipsychotic drugs. | |||||
| ≑ Includes the tricyclics. | |||||