- People who rely on pain-relief medication are stock piling product before ban
- From February 1, people will have to get a prescription from doctors to use drug
- Medications including Panadeine, Nurofen Plus and Codral are amoung effected
- Customers are stock piling the over-the-counter drug before nation-wide ban
As the national codeine ban looms, panic is brewing amoung regular users who will be forced to get prescriptions to use the drug.
Pharmacies are seeing people who rely on the over-the-counter pain killer stock piling the product in a frenzied panic before the ban is enforced on February 1.
Panadeine, Nurofen Plus and Mersyndol are amoung the products being hoarded by people who use the drug for pain relief, including for migraines and toothaches.
As the national codeine ban looms, panic is brewing amoung regular users who will be forced to get prescriptions to use the drug (pictured)
Pharmacies are seeing customers stock piling the product in a frenzied panic before the ban is enforced on February 1 (stock image)
Cough medications including Codral and Demazin will also need prescriptions because they contain condeine.
With only three weeks until the Australia wide ban, people are rushing to get their hands on the product before the ban comes into play which will force them to visit a doctor or hospital to get a prescription for the drug.
Codeine is an opioid and is related to heroin and morphine which can be highly addictive and can give users a high if taken in large doses.
The Dean of the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anesthetists Dr Chris Hayes told The Daily Mercury that people will still be able to manage pain with over-the-counter medications that don’t contain codeine.
‘When exploring other alternative treatments it’s good to be aware that unlike codeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen are not opioids and not addictive,’ he said.
‘There are many safer and more effective alternatives available that don’t have the harmful side effects of low-dose codeine.’
Panadeine, Nurofen Plus and Mersyndol are amoung the products (pictured) being hoarded by people who use the drug for pain relief, including for migraines and toothaches
With only three weeks until the Australia wide ban, people are rushing to get their hands on the product before the ban comes into play (stock image)
While the nation-wide ban is to deter people from using the drug for non-pain related reasons, one pharmacist believes it won’t make a difference.
‘There is no way for GPs to monitor someone’s opiate use,’ pharmacist John Jones told The Herald.
‘So you can go and see three different prescribers, get three different prescriptions and present to three different pharmacies and no one has any idea.’