addiction
Ice inquiry too limited, says substance abuse expert
The NSW inquiry into ice may be less important than focusing on pill testing and legal drug harm, says a prominent GP This week, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister …
Man threatens pharmacy workers with mop
A man in search of suboxone allegedly armed himself with a mop and threatened to kill pharmacy staff The Gold Coast Bulletin reports that Phoenix Wolf was out on bail …
Solutions needed on medicines abuse
Real time monitoring could drive people with prescription drug addictions to heroin, say substance abuse stakeholders Late last week Painaustralia, the Faculty of Pain Medicine and the Australian Pain Society …
Knowing the risks
An inquest has highlighted the importance of careful decisions in drug withdrawal, after a patient died from being administered an excessive amount of buprenorphine In April 2015, a 38-year-old man …
Research Roundup
Debbie Rigby takes a look at the latest in research news Pain and Addiction Patients with pain and addiction often have multiple psychological, psychiatric, and medical comorbidities with associated polypharmacy, …
Training for SafeScript
When the system launches in October this year, Victorian prescribers and pharmacists will have access to information regarding the history and usage of drugs of abuse SafeScript, the Victorian Government’s …
Melbourne injecting room already saving lives
After all the fracas, the Medically Supervised Injecting Room is hitting all KPIs, as NSW calls for more rooms in needy areas, writes Angelo Pricolo On Saturday 30 June 2018, …
Welfare drug test plan passes Lower House
Pharmacist politician Emma McBride has taken aim at plans to drug test welfare recipients, citing her experience helping people with substance dependency The Social Services Legislation Amendment (Drug Testing Trial) …
Why opioid dependence treatment is hampered
Stakeholders including a well-known community pharmacist are calling for improvement in the dispensing of opioid treatment Treatment for opioid dependence is hampered by lack of availability, acceptability and affordability of …
Opioid pharmacotherapy: barriers to treatment
Angelo Pricolo examines the main reasons patients cease, or don’t access, therapies for opioid dependence… and why many pharmacies don’t offer it We know that about 50,000 people in Australia …
Pleasure on the brain
In the mid-1600s, not long after Shakespeare’s time, there was a drug that captured headlines just as ice does today It wove its dark web through Western society. So damaging …
Clinical tips: substance abuse disorder
Substance abuse disorder isn’t just about opioids or illicit drugs, writes Karalyn Huxhagen When we think of substances that are abused we mainly consider illicit drugs and medications such as …