About 800,000 Scots a year receive at least one prescription for opioid painkillers, which can be as addictive as heroin.
In March the Sapphire clinic was given approval from regulators Healthcare Improvement Scotland to treat dozens of conditions, including Parkinson’s.
At the end of March, 165 people had been waiting 52 weeks or more for an appointment – up from 57 in 2020.