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Getty Images<\/p>\nAlex BishBBC South East Investigations<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
A total of 57 million doses of unauthorised medication have been confiscated by government agencies over the last five years<\/p>\n
Patients who buy illicit painkillers, erectile dysfunction pills and other unlicensed medicines on the black market are risking their health, a doctor is warning, after millions of doses were seized. <\/p>\n
Figures obtained by the BBC show more than 57 million doses of unauthorised medication have been confiscated in the UK by government agencies in the last five years.<\/p>\n
Julian Spinks, a GP in Medway, Kent, said there was a risk of buying a dummy pill, a completely different medication or the correct drug at the wrong dose.<\/p>\n
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said: “Products purchased in this way will not meet our strict quality and safety standards, and taking such medicines may put your health at risk.”<\/p>\n
Missed health checks<\/p>\n
The seizures between 2020\/21 and 2024\/25 also included unlicensed painkillers, anti-anxiety medication and sleeping tablets.<\/p>\n
More than 34 million doses were seized in the two most recent years, according to data released in a Freedom of Information request to the MHRA.<\/p>\n
In the last year, unlicensed drugs for erectile dysfunction were the most common item seized.<\/p>\n
Dr Spinks said he was not surprised some patients were buying the drugs online.<\/p>\n
“A lot of them are very embarrassed and don’t want to talk to their doctor about it,” he said.<\/p>\n
“However, they are missing out on the additional checks doctors do to make sure they can take it safely and to look for underlying causes.<\/p>\n
“There’s a good chance they’re buying a dummy pill and they are wasting their money.”<\/p>\n
![\"Julian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/589cb610-dbee-11f0-8af2-2d39028f98bc.png.webp.webp\")
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GP Julian Spinks says there is no way of knowing the dose of illegally traded medicine<\/p>\n
The MHRA said the second most common medicine seized in the last financial year was the painkiller Tramadol.<\/p>\n
Dr Spinks told the BBC there was an increasing reluctance in the NHS to prescribe the opiate because there were “more risks than benefits to long-term use”.<\/p>\n
“This drug does cause tolerance and addiction,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There can be considerable variation in the strength of the drugs, so there is a much bigger danger of overdose.”<\/p>\n
Masking symptoms<\/p>\n
Another major concern is that these medicines can mask symptoms without treating the underlying problem, according to Surrey doctor David Triska.<\/p>\n
He said: “Someone may feel temporary relief from pain, anxiety or insomnia, but the root cause remains unaddressed.”<\/p>\n
Dr Triska, who is a GP in Witley, said this could delay proper assessment and treatment and, in some cases, allowed serious conditions to worsen before help was finally sought.<\/p>\n
“From a clinical point of view, we often end up seeing people later and sicker than we otherwise would,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There is also a widespread misconception that if something is easy to buy online, it must be safe.”<\/p>\n
Kim Webster’s 17-year-old son William Horley died in 2018 after taking Tramadol recreationally with a friend<\/a>.<\/p>\n “It just breaks my heart still,” she said. “Life is just so precious and being that person that’s living through my son dying from drugs bought online, things need to change.<\/p>\n “You can get them [Tramadol] prescribed from a doctor. Why are they getting these online?”<\/p>\n Ms Webster, from Herne Bay, has since given awareness talks to tens of thousands of pupils on behalf of the Kenward Trust, a Kent-based charity.<\/p>\n She said: “I’m shocked at the age they actually know about [drugs]. There are some children so switched on with what is out there and how to use things and how to get them, it’s so scary.”<\/p>\n Kim has campaigned about drugs awareness since her son William Horley died aged 17 <\/p>\n The MHRA seizes drugs which are counterfeit, sold illegally without a prescription, or genuine medicines which do not have a licence for use in the UK.<\/p>\n The government agency said the biggest challenge was from medicines that were unlicensed or unapproved for use in the UK, which were often smuggled into the country across borders.<\/p>\n “Buying any medicine from unauthorised suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not licensed for use in the UK,” said Andy Morling, MHRA’s deputy director of criminal enforcement.<\/p>\n “We will continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies, international partners and others to prevent the illegal supply of medicines and to protect patients.”<\/p>\n The government recently launched a new awareness campaign<\/a> about the risks of taking drugs, including the use of counterfeit medicines. <\/p>\n![\"Kim](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/c702ffc0-dbed-11f0-8af2-2d39028f98bc.png.webp.webp\")
Kim Webster<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/70ea1680-ea09-11f0-b67b-690eb873de1b.png.webp.webp\")
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