A WARNING has gone out to parents after three teenagers were hospitalised after taking prescription epilepsy drugs.

The trio, aged in their mid to late teens, from Droitwich, were taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Saturday after taking carbamazepine, known as Tegretol, that had not been prescribed to them.

The teenagers are in a stable condition.

Detective Inspector David Knight, of West Mercia Police, said: “For some reason these young males thought it sensible to take drugs that were not prescribed to them.

“We are asking families to have a chat with their teenage sons and daughters to make sure this is not a trend.”

A spokesman for the three Worcestershire clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) said: “It’s important that people only take prescription medication as directed by a healthcare professional and never take more than the stated dose.

“Medicines should only be taken by the person that the prescription has been issued to and never shared with anyone else.

“All medication should be stored securely and correctly disposed of at a pharmacy if it’s no longer needed.”

Previously in January, Public Health England launched a review into prescription drugs amidst concerns prescribing of addictive medicines has increased more than three per cent five years.

One patient in eleven is prescribed one of these medicines. Antidepressant prescriptions in England have more than doubled in the past 10 years

A recent survey also found that 7.6 per cent of adults had taken a prescription-only painkiller not prescribed to them.

Anyone who knows someone using prescription drugs without a prescription or for recreational purposes can contact West Mercia Police 101, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or fill out a confidential form online at Crimestoppers-uk.org.

Those concerned about their own drug use can access confidential advice by contacting Frank on 0300 123 6600 or visiting Talktofrank.com.