Paracetamol ban no effect on overdoses: [2 Edition 1]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 18 Feb 2002: 5.
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Abstract
Poisons specialist Corrine Balit, along with a team from the NSW Poisons Information Centre and the Department of Clinical Toxicology at Newcastle Mater Hospital, discovered that during the shortage of paracetamol there was a significant increase in deliberate self- harm using the next most available analgesics, aspirin and ibuprofen.
One NSW region showed a 232 per cent increase in people presenting to hospital for aspirin poisoning during the period of paracetamol shortage, while theNSW Poisons Information Centre showed an 86 per cent increase in ibuprofen poisons.
Full Text
REDUCING the availability of over-the-counter paracetamol is unlikely to reduce the rate of overdoses with common analgesics, says a study in the Medical Journal of Australia, published today.
Paracetamol is a common element in overdoses and the easy access to it, with its potential for deliberate self-harm, has prompted debate around the world.
Following extortion threats to two Australian pharmaceutical companies in 2000, the research team was in a unique position to determine the impact.
Poisons specialist Corrine Balit, along with a team from the NSW Poisons Information Centre and the Department of Clinical Toxicology at Newcastle Mater Hospital, discovered that during the shortage of paracetamol there was a significant increase in deliberate self- harm using the next most available analgesics, aspirin and ibuprofen.
“We found that the level of paracetamol poisoning did not decrease significantly during the recall but there was a significant increase in poisoning with other analgesics, which have a higher risk of side-effects, ” said Ms Balit. “Significant overdoses of aspirin are serious and may be life-threatening.”
One NSW region showed a 232 per cent increase in people presenting to hospital for aspirin poisoning during the period of paracetamol shortage, while theNSW Poisons Information Centre showed an 86 per cent increase in ibuprofen poisons.
Ms Balit said another difficulty was accidental overdosing in minors. Paracetamol was relatively non-toxic in children, where there were no confirmed deaths from acute poisoning.
But there were reports of serious complications in children who had swallowed large doses of ibuprofen. Accidental ibuprofen poisonings in children jumped 135 per cent during the paracetamol shortage.
The researchers warned that unless the availability of other medications was also controlled, the removal of one readily available medication, such as paracetamol, could have the opposite of the desired effect, leading to increased deliberate and accidental poisoning with more toxic medications.