overdose
Clinical tips: Overdose
As the adage says, the dose makes the poison… but the general public don’t always know that, write Lisa Nissen and Esther Lau An overdose is when more than the …
Good news on naloxone, for some
The extension of the take-home naloxone pilot doesn’t go far enough, one expert says The Government announced in Tuesday’s Budget that it will provide $3.9 million in 2021‑22 to extend the …
Drug-related deaths rising
A new report from NDARC has highlighted the importance of helping people at risk of overdose from pharmaceutical drugs The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW Sydney has …
The mysterious case of baclofen toxicity
Coroner investigates a woman’s rare and inadvertent death from off-label use of baclofen This story contains details that may distress some readers. Caution is advised. A Victorian Coroner has attributed …
Doc fined $10K over patient death
A GP has been reprimanded and fined for prescribing controlled and restricted drugs to a patient who died from an overdose A general practitioner from North Lakes, Queensland has been …
‘You have put a gun in my mum’s hand.’
A patient would visit her doctor several times a week and ask for “the usual”— thought to be Panadeine Forte, Temaze and Valium by her child who was in the …
Diverted methadone implicated in another death
Multiple coroners have made recommendations for tightened access to unsupervised dosing and better education on storage, with further investigation encouraged in latest case A 71-year-old Victorian woman died in early …
Stories from the frontline
‘He came into the pharmacy, in tears’: How Australian pharmacists are playing a role in reducing opioid deaths The Penington Institute released Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2020 this Monday to …
Unintentional overdose numbers climb
The number of Australians who die from unintentional drug overdose each year continues to rise, and is set to worsen due to COVID-19, a new report reveals. Released on International …
Coroner expresses concern over man’s overdose death
The GP who prescribed methadone to a Tasmanian man was found to have breached the Poisons Act on 35 occasions A 51-year-old Tasmanian man died from acute methadone toxicity in …
The reasons for prescription opioid abuse
Distress and pain are the key reasons people are taking opioids in higher doses than prescribed or without a prescription, new research shows A study led by Monash University researchers, …
Opioid rules tightened
New restrictions on opioids provide an excellent opportunity for pharmacists to raise awareness about dependence, naloxone and pain management, say stakeholders Commencing Monday, 1 June 2020, the PBS listings for …