Medicines used in a suicide attempt may have been prescribed for the patient, for someone else in their household or bought over the counter. In fatal overdoses:

• 33 per cent used opioids
• 11 per cent antipsychotic drugs
• 9 per cent tricyclic antidepressants
• 9 per cent selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin and noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
• 7 per cent paracetamol and opioid combinations
• 7 per cent non-opioid analgesics (mostly paracetamol)
• 3 per cent pregabalin
• 2 per cent gabapentin.

The potential risks of suicide associated with benzodiazepine prescribing and withdrawal increase the need for continued alertness from the pharmacy team as benzodiazepines were mentioned on the death certificate in 406 of the 3,744 self-poisoning deaths in 2016 in England and Wales. 

When dispensing or selling any of these drugs, increased vigilance from the pharmacy team, as outlined previously, is imperative.