overdose
Paracetamol poisonings more likely to be intentional: study
Intentional poisonings lead hospital admissions over one decade in NSW, boosting evidence behind government’s decision to reduce pack sizes, new study finds Compared to other poisonings, events involving paracetamol were …
Drug policy ‘dangerously out of balance’: Pennington Institute
Overdose deaths hit record level as a “predictable consequence of policy failure”, advocacy group says A community-wide response is needed to address the rising number of overdose deaths in Australia, the Pennington Institute …
Propranolol implicated in teen death
A young woman circumvented GP and pharmacy measures to prevent stockpiling her beta blocker prescription—with lethal results An 18-year-old Queensland woman died from mixed drug toxicity involving “potentially fatal” exposure …
Death ‘less likely’ had patient not accessed two takeaway doses: coroner
Chief pharmacist questions prescribing doctor following patient’s overdose death Tasmania’s chief pharmacist has questioned a GP’s concurrent prescribing of oral methadone liquid and diazepam after a woman died from mixed …
Increased naloxone levels planned for rest of year
Different groups of people are now at risk of opioid overdose, says one expert – but how does this play into the naloxone shortage? “Very tragic” deaths have occurred recently …
‘One life lost to a reversible opioid emergency is one too many’
Pharmacists are raising public awareness of the Take Home Naloxone program, encouraging pharmacists and the community to take part With Queensland Mental Health Week (5-13 October 2024) currently underway, the …
New psychoactive substances a growing problem
Diazepam was the top contributing drug in Victorian fatal overdoses in 2023, a coroner’s report has revealed…but deaths involving new drugs are increasing The Coroner’s Court of Victoria has published …
Paracetamol, charting role in woman’s death revealed
A 39kg woman was given 1g paracetamol QID 13 times over five days, leading a coroner to recommend publishing statistics on whether updated systems are helping prevent overdose ACT coroner …
‘Opioid safety is relevant to every pharmacy’
A new opioid safety toolkit launches, with a focus on helping people identify their risks and develop a safety plan Wednesday, 4 September 2024 saw the national launch of the Opioid …
‘Thank you’: How I saved a patient’s life with naloxone
Pharmacist and owner Amy Ford shares her story for International Overdose Awareness Day I am the owner of Hope Island 7 Day Amcal Chemist and have been a pharmacist and …
Emergence of nitazenes highlights need for Take Home Naloxone
Pharmacies are being urged to stock naloxone to help combat opioid overdose risks Increasing cases of nitazenes being detected in Australia highlights the important role community pharmacies play in providing …
‘Very concerning time’ as nitazenes contaminate drugs
Nitazene contamination in the illicit drug market means talking to patients about naloxone is more important than ever, experts warn A recent NSW Health statement described nitazenes as “synthetic opioids …