AUS: Pain sufferers stock up on codeine medicines before over-the-counter ban

[Jabberwocky]

Pain sufferers are stocking up on medications containing codeine before the painkillers become prescription-only from February.

Health experts are advising people who suffer from dental problems, period and back pain, migraines, cold and flu symptoms, muscular aches and inflammation to start planning for the change by speaking to their doctors about alternatives.

From February 1, medicines like Nurofen Plus, Panadeine, Mersyndol and Codral will only be available with a prescription and not over-the-counter.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration made the decision to ban the products over-the-counter after looking at the laws in other countries and evidence of the harm caused by their overuse and abuse.

Countries including the US, most of Europe, Hong Kong and Japan have stopped the sale of codeine products without a script.

About 100 people a year die from overdosing on codeine medicines in Australia, with doctors warning the drugs are addictive.

Between 2007 and 2011, there were more than 1900 deaths involving codeine. There are more than five million over-the-counter sales of codeine products a year in Australia.

Codeine is not seen as a great pain reliever as the body adapts to it and when it is no longer taken, patients are more sensitive to pain.

It has been reported that companies including pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline have ceased manufacturing products containing codeine since earlier this year.



Source: https://www.9news.com.au/national/2...codeine-medicines-before-over-the-counter-ban

 

[JessFR]

This is so stupid. Medical resources are already way over taxed in some areas. This will make that worse. Not to mention how many people will simply switch to more powerful and more illegal drugs as a result.

This sounds very poorly thought out to me.

Also that 100 people who die each year sounds like a deception if ever I've heard one. How many of that already small 100 actually died from the Codeine rather than the ibuprofen or APAP I wonder.

 

[LucidSDreamr]

banning codiene: that should get everyone to stop slamming fentanyl and dieing

 

[Foreigner]

So... did they do it because Australia really needed it or just because other countries are doing it?

100 deaths a year is not really that much. Sad yes, but in the grand scheme does that justify a ban?

 

[CorinaC]

As an addict myself I think this is a good step forward, however there needs to be support in place for addicts. America has seen a huge rise in heroin addictions and death from OD because of the sudden reduction in handing out meds like Oxy etc. Many, many addicts have been created by doctor's prescribing Oxy then they've realised what they've done and have just stopped prescribing it. So instead users are turning to heroin and the likes. But where is the help? There isn't any!

So many people are addicted to these devil pills, I wish I'd never laid eyes on these. I've done a taper and today is my last day, I'm about to do the final jump and I'm not looking forward to it one bit. I imagine that the U.K (where I'm from) will follow suit and ban these meds from OTC sale so I want to get this done while it's on my own terms (sort of).

 

[JessFR]

As an addict myself I think this is a good step forward, however there needs to be support in place for addicts. America has seen a huge rise in heroin addictions and death from OD because of the sudden reduction in handing out meds like Oxy etc. Many, many addicts have been created by doctor's prescribing Oxy then they've realised what they've done and have just stopped prescribing it. So instead users are turning to heroin and the likes. But where is the help? There isn't any!

So many people are addicted to these devil pills, I wish I'd never laid eyes on these. I've done a taper and today is my last day, I'm about to do the final jump and I'm not looking forward to it one bit. I imagine that the U.K (where I'm from) will follow suit and ban these meds from OTC sale so I want to get this done while it's on my own terms (sort of).

Sorry but I can't agree. Prohibition doesn't work. You might be ready to quit, but many won't be and are just as likely to switch to something even worse. Yes the damage could be mitigated with much needed support, but it still will likely be a whose outcome than a dozen or so other options that don't involve just banning them.

People frequently get it into their head whenever the government proposes some form of action that the choice is either doing the proposed action or doing nothing at al, but it's not and it never was.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Painkiller prescription plan set to hurt customers in the long-run

Aussies are set to suffer “unnecessary pain” due to a looming national wide ban on access to over-the-counter low-dose codeine.

University of Sydney Professor Peter Carroll says the decision is not appropriate and making medicines such as medicines such as Nurofen Plus, Panadeine and varieties of Codral’s Cold and Flu tablets prescription-only, won’t solve the problem of codeine drug dependence in the long-run.

“I just don't think it makes sense because the vast, vast majority of the people who use these products do so safely, effectively to treat common everyday pain,” Professor Carroll explained.

“I'm not too sure whether at this point of time the TGA would reverse the decision, I have asked them too.”

Since announcing the decision in 2016, the Therapeutics Goods Association hasn’t indicated it would reverse the decision, describing codeine as a "commonly used medicine of abuse" on its website.

Adelaide man Andrew Stonehill suffered from a painful foot condition and says he spiraled into a debilitating dependence when he was prescribed an opioid pain medication.

To alleviate the pain, a local doctor prescribed Tramadol to Andrew, a drug used to treat moderate to severe pain.

“The painkillers basically gave me a lot of relief so it was actually helping me out,” Andrew said.

But things quickly spun out of control for Andrew.

After feeling like the pain was intensifying, Andrew says his doctor suggested increasing his dosage.

However, Andrew kept feeling like it was never enough to keep the pain away and it got to the point where he was taking 1600 milligrams of Tramadol a day, four times more than his prescribed dosage.

“You basically get feelings of euphoria, you basically get a high,” Andrew described.

“I think any and every person has the potential of getting hooked, especially if you’re vulnerable and need pain relief.”

Andrew says after weeks of consuming Tramadol at an extremely high dosage, he could feel himself losing control of his bladder and said he basically lost the ability to predict when he needed to urinate.

The National President of the Pharmacy Guild George Tambassis agrees cases of prescription drug dependence, such as Andrew’s, is frightening, but also says there’s a more simple solution than an over-the-counter ban on codeine.

The Guild is urging the TGA to opt for real-time monitoring of all prescriptions – much like a system already in place in more than 70 percent of pharmacies, called MedsASSIST, which records a purchase history of every over-the-counter medication a customer makes.

“Unless that patient voluntarily comes to me at the pharmacy or voluntarily goes to the doctor, we don't know what they're getting discharged with and that's a huge issue,” Mr Tambassis said.


Source: https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/01/09/19/43/codeine-restrictions-to-bring-pain-says-doctor

 

[Tairo]

I agree this has not been though through, So far all I have seen is sarcasrtic pharmacists taking pleasure in saying no to any codeine sales, with the cops on speed dial.

 

[JessFR]

I agree this has not been though through, So far all I have seen is sarcasrtic pharmacists taking pleasure in saying no to any codeine sales, with the cops on speed dial.

It might be you. I've noticed the pharmacists reaction is all about image. One of my family members is a pharmacist, she thinks it's stupid too.

Something else occurs to me, apart from all the added pressure this will put on doctors, what was the point of putting in a system to track Codeine purchases then banning it a year or so later?

 

[zephyr]

So... did they do it because Australia really needed it or just because other countries are doing it?

100 deaths a year is not really that much. Sad yes, but in the grand scheme does that justify a ban?

The AMA used other countries as an excuse to get more ppl into the doctors office so they can get more money from medicare.

Its all about money.

The pharmacy board wanted the codeine level capped at 10 or 12.8 mg when the doctors board increased it to 15mg.

Now they want it prescription only?


Yeah, they are greedy for money. The gp visits have not had a medicare rebate increase in years. Bull billing practises are going broke. This will increase visits.

Ching ching.

Fuck we suck. I hate this shit .

 

[JessFR]

I hate the AMA. They are always pulling shit to financially benefit them at the expense of patient care.

Oh well.

 

[Swerlz]

lol try living in American with all the bullshit we have to go through

This does sound stupid and unnecessary

 

[JessFR]

lol try living in American with all the bullshit we have to go through

This does sound stupid and unnecessary

I used too. Although granted not as an adult.

In terms of drug policy, undoubtedly the US has it worse. In terms of red tape and over regulation though, Australia probably has it beat.

Lets face it though, they all suck. It's just the specifics that vary.

 

[zephyr]

Its because general practitioners havent got a medicare rebate increase in years and can charge a higher schedule for a prescription.

Got fuck all yo do eith anything else.

Stupid bloody....everything!

 

[Rob27shred]

Yep, I bet the big pharmaceutical companies have a big part in this happening. Think about it, they were making an absolute killing on opiates in the US until the situation inevitably spun out of their control prompting the drastic reduction in prescribed opiates we have here right now. They gotta start targeting other countries to keep the gravy train rolling & what better way to start than wiping out any easily procured OTC opioid. Next the big pharma lobbyists will start greasing palms in AUS govt & the big pharma reps will be doing the same with AUS med. professionals. A similar thing is happening in India right now. When I hear news like this it makes me sick to my stomach since it's really all about money & has fuck all to do with the welfare of fellow humans...

 

[JessFR]

Yep, I bet the big pharmaceutical companies have a big part in this happening. Think about it, they were making an absolute killing on opiates in the US until the situation inevitably spun out of their control prompting the drastic reduction in prescribed opiates we have here right now. They gotta start targeting other countries to keep the gravy train rolling & what better way to start than wiping out any easily procured OTC opioid. Next the big pharma lobbyists will start greasing palms in AUS govt & the big pharma reps will be doing the same with AUS med. professionals. A similar thing is happening in India right now. When I hear news like this it makes me sick to my stomach since it's really all about money & has fuck all to do with the welfare of fellow humans...

I don?t think so. It?s not that I don?t think big companies would ever do something that evil, big tobacco is doing exactly what you describe right now. But I don?t think that?s the case here with big Pharma. The time for overprescribing opioids in Australia has come and gone, if they had any sense they?d realise it would be futile to try now.

No, this isn?t the build up to an opioid epidemic in Australia, this is the existing smaller one that parallels America coming to its end. And no doubt many of the same repercussions will now happen here too once the level opioids are gone. People will go somewhere else instead.

 

[HIGHBEAR]

Wow ! That's quite amazing, I had no idea Codeine was available Over The Counter, other than places in Asia. I'd definitely stock pile, buy pallets at a time, unless of course !? Most likely a daily / monthly limit.

 

[JessFR]

Well, that ship has sailed a while back.

Not so long ago, a year or so, in much of the country you could just go to a bunch of different chemist's, get Codeine, and have an enormous supply built up in no time.

Sure the pharmacists were on the look out for it, but only in the sense of each individual pharmacist literally keeping their eye on it. It wasn't tracked on paper in any way. Not even within a single pharmacy. So if you had the right look and didn't do it too much with a single pharmacist, you could build up an enormous supply very easily.

Now this part I only worked out since my first post in this thread, but apparently the pharmacist guild sensed this change was being talked about and wanted to prevent it, so they came up with a tracking system that pharmacies could volunteer to use to keep track of it via your drivers license that worked in all pharmacies that used the system. Which quickly became most of them.

Some states have checked more seriously for longer than that, but it was only in the last year or so the pharmacies got more serious about it cause they sensed it could be banned soon. And pharmacies already struggle to make money, which is why they hock so much bullshit.

Anyhow, it didn't work. It got banned anyway so now all the effort put into implementing the system to avoid this stricter outcome was for nothing. But it means that it would prove more difficult to build up a stockpile now than if it had gone straight from status quo to banned.

 

[Pickledlemons]

Prohibition is never the answer. I hope this doesnt happen in Canada...

 

[Jabberwocky]

People who don't even need codeine are now going to have to wait longer at the Dr's. They reported that there are something like 5.3 million sales per year. The Dr can only give a max of 2 - 3 scripts per time. This means over a million unnecessary patient visits. The waiting times at medical centres are already bad enough. Why make it worse?

There was also evidence that only 1% of codeine users have actually died from abusing it. In comparison Alcohol and smoking has killed more. Why not then put a script on alcohol too rather than codeine? Sounds like BS.

I believe this will get reversed.