Britain is in the grip of a growing opioid crisis, with middle-aged women fuelling a 60 per cent rise in the numbers of heavy painkillers, anxiety medications and antidepressants prescribed in the last decade.

Medics warned that the trends show the situation in the UK could become “devastating” - aping an epidemic seen in the US.

The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that 141 million prescriptions were issued for such drugs last year - a rise from 89 million in 2008.

The statistics show a doubling in the number of antidepressants issued, while prescribing of painkillers containing opioids has risen by more than a fifth.

Some types of drugs used to treat anxiety have seen a seven-fold rise in prescribing, the figures from NHS Digital show, with a four-fold rise in prescribing of some types of pain relief.

Tomorrow, the Government will publish a landmark review of prescription drug addiction.

Public Health England's review, which was ordered by ministers, will assess the scale of the problem facing the country and give recommendations on how to crack down on the growing crisis.

It follows warnings that two thirds of those on “dependence forming medicines” are female, and typically in their 50s and 60s.

Such pills are typically prescribed by GPs to treat problems like pain, anxiety and insomnia. But some of these medicines are highly addictive and result in dependence and withdrawal.