TAMWORTH GPs don’t know what to expect when changes to codeine sales come into effect on Thursday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There could be a flood of people streaming into local surgeries desperate for pain relief, or it could be business as usual.
“That’s sort of the point,” Tamworth GP Jenny May said.
“I don’t think we really know how many people are using it.”
The country’s medication watchdog, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), ordered over-the-counter sales of codeine-based painkillers, such as Panadeine, Nurofen Plus and Mersyndol, be banned from February 1.
RELATED ARTICLES:
Often used to treat pain associated with earaches, period pain, toothaches and migraines, people will soon need a prescription for the drug.
Dr May supported the move and said there were “significant side-effects” with long term use.
“Opioids in acute pain is first line treatment, but in chronic pain is not so clear-cut,” she said.
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson has rallied against the ban and said real-time monitoring of codeine sales was a “commonsense” approach which would stem related drug abuse.
He also worried it might result in added strain on the Emergency Department (ED).
“The strain on our public health system is always a problem,” he said.
“That means more people waiting to be seen, I don’t want that to happen.”
The opposition shared his fear and called for the government to monitor the number of patients going to EDs needing urgent prescriptions.
“We need the hard evidence drawn from the NSW health and hospital system to see if the predicted impact occurs with our emergency departments already at breaking point,” Shadow Health Minister Walt Secord said.
Meanwhile, the NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) supported the move to make codeine a prescription-only drug.
“Nurses working in emergency departments across NSW will continue to encourage patients who present with symptoms of chronic pain or side effects of withdrawal to consult their general practitioner,” acting general secretary Judith Kiejda said.
“The NSWNMA maintains the TGA’s decision is based on sound medical evidence and has been made in the interests of enhancing public health.”
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said taking codeine off the shelves would save 100 lives a year.
"We know that there are over half a million Australians with some form of codeine addiction," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
"It would be almost unthinkable for any responsible government to ignore the unanimous advice of medical authorities."
An online poll of The Leader’s readers found the majority were not in favour of the changes.
More than 54 per cent of respondents said it was a “terrible idea”.
Only 10 per cent said it was an excellent initiative, while more than 32 per cent voted in favour of a nationwide prescription drug monitoring system.