Prescription drugs linked to three-quarters of overdoses in Oz

[Frazz]

PRESCRIPTION medications have been linked to more than three-quarters of all drug overdose deaths in Victoria, a coroner has found.

 

And nearly half of the 338 Victorians who died from drug or alcohol overdoses in 2010 had taken sleeping or anxiety pills, coroner Audrey Jamieson found.

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association has called on the State and Federal governments to address the hidden crisis of prescription drug deaths.

 

In 2010, 137 Victorians died from prescription medication alone, compared with 50 from illicit drugs and 21 from alcohol, while the remainder died from different combinations of these.

Prescription drugs included diazepam, codeine, oxycodone, temazepam and paracetamol, while heroin was the only illicit drug that caused fatalities.

 

Ms Jamieson called for a clampdown on the drugs and for doctors to be more aware of the risks of death associated with misuse.

The court heard large amounts could be prescribed "cheaply and without restriction".

 

She recommended the Victorian Health Department introduce a real-time prescription monitoring system to reduce harm from "doctor shopping" - seeking prescriptions from several practitioners.

The court heard the software would be introduced in July.

She also recommended the federal health department more tightly control benzodiazepines, moving them to Schedule 8 of the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons.

"They would be subject to more stringent restrictions on prescribing and dispensing - restrictions that are appropriate and might help to reduce deaths," she said.

 

Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association executive officer Sam Biondo said the extent of the misuse and deaths from prescription drugs had been hidden.

"I think the time has come for there to be a sense of urgency around the impending crisis on this issue," he said

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• Marianne Betts, Katie Bice
  
• From: Herald Sun ....http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/prescription-drugs-linked-to-three-quarters-of-overdoses/story-fn6bfkm6-1226360672296
  
• May 19, 2012 12:00AM
  

In another related news report, ... ALCOHOL and prescription drug abuse resulted in more than 14,000 ambulance call-outs for overdoses in Melbourne last year, a new report said.

Also, the city's use of crystal methamphetamine (ice) is sky-rocketing, with metropolitan paramedics responding to 282 calls for people on the drug in 2010-2011, compared to 136 the previous year.

 

Ambulance Victoria figures released today show alcohol remains the city's single biggest troublemaking drug, with 6946 call-outs for suspected overdoses in 2010-11, up 12 per cent from 6187 in 2009-10.

Benzodiazepines, commonly prescribed for sleeping and anxiety issues, were the second greatest cause, prompting 3135 emergency calls throughout Melbourne.

 

The statistics, released as part of Eastern Health's Turning Point Alcohol and Drug Centre report, show that while call-outs for illegal drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine have dropped, legal drugs - particularly prescription medication - are causing harm at an alarming rate.

Turning Point researcher Belinda Lloyd said the risky use of prescription drugs demanded notice.

"While much attention is paid to illicit substances, we should also be mindful of the potential health problems that excessive consumption of prescription medication can cause," Dr Lloyd said.

 

Ambulance Victoria CEO Greg Sassella said non-fatal drug overdoses made up about 10 per cent of paramedics' total workload, with about 25,000 call-outs a year.

Overdose cases strained the already stressed ambulance resources, he said, as intoxicated patients were often unpredictable, and many - particularly those affected by alcohol mixed with other drugs - could become aggressive towards paramedics.

 

Turning Point's director, Professor Dan Lubman, said drug abuse was prevalent across all age groups, with the figures representing only a tiny snapshot of the community's woes.

"Of the amount of people putting themselves in harm's way, only a small proportion of those will actually (involve an ambulance), so it's actually an indicator of a much bigger community population problem," he said.

 

The report will be used to focus future drug awareness campaigns, with Prof Lubman saying there is a need to combat an attitude in the community that tolerates, and even encourages, getting wasted.

"We're living more and more in a culture where intoxication is socially acceptable, and actually embraced and sought after," he said.

 

Mr Sassella said people should never hesitate to call 000 in a suspected overdose.

"Any delay in calling an ambulance for any drug overdose can cost lives. Our role is to save lives, not make judgments," he said.

• AAP
  
• May 08, 2012 2:42PM
  
• HERALD SUN ... http://www.heraldsun...x-1226349940457
  

What i find disturbing about both these reports (apart from the deaths of Australians @the hands of the Pharmaceutical Industry) is that it had absolutely MINIMUM reporting throughout the Australian Press!!!!

guess half the Press room is dropping prescription drugs and sucking down Scotch for Lunch! ... but oh no .. dont try to tell the truth about Legal drugs will ya ... where is that cow jan dopeland now, i feel like kicking someone !!!!

 

[brick]

Not in the news papers Frazz, because the sheeple only like to see pictures of gestapo raids on houses, and the ss troops kneeling on some poor bugger's head. Thanks to murdochs bullshit reality programs. The real problems just don't sell newspapers.

[Frank Reynolds]

great post frazz, shit is disgusting@@@

[smashed1]

there bad news perscription drugs , i had a lilprob for a few years , bigest danger was after a couple to chill i didnt relize id taken the lot ! untill i went to get one next morning an found id takeen em all , once that started hapenung i stopd it quick , couldnt remember a thing after taking first couple !!

[xShivaspacetechnologyx]

there bad news perscription drugs , i had a lilprob for a few years , bigest danger was after a couple to chill i didnt relize id taken the lot ! untill i went to get one next morning an found id takeen em all , once that started hapenung i stopd it quick , couldnt remember a thing after taking first couple !!

 

Sounds like my experience with a few different benzo's. The memory loss from taking that shit is remarkable, hence why now i only use them rarely and only if i want to forget something!

Edited May 19, 2012 by xShivaspacetechnologyx