One in eight adults in Ireland suffers with chronic pain and some of these people are at risk of becoming addicted to pain relief medication, a conference has been told.

Chronic pain is considered to be pain in the body that lasts longer than three months. Back, joint and neck pain are the most common types of chronic pain. Furthermore, at least one in four households in Ireland includes one adult who suffers with pain as a result of some sort of medical condition.

Speaking at the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) national pharmacy conference at the weekend, IPU vice-president, Daragh Connolly, emphasised that this can be a very complex condition to treat and can have a major impact on the quality of life of sufferers.

He insisted that pharmacists ‘have to be sensitive to the risk that a patient may become dependent or even addicted to pain relief medication', especially if a person is being treated over a long period of time.

He also emphasised that pharmacists ‘can serve as the first line of defence in recognising drug misuse or abuse'.

"Pharmacists have a key role to play in pain management by helping a patient to categorise the type of pain they are experiencing in order to guide the best treatment options as quickly and as effectively as possible," Mr Connolly said.

The IPU conference took place in Killarney, Co Kerry.