[Brad Lockyer]

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is considering restricting sales of paracetamol to over-18s or those with a prescription after an independent report found a ‘concerning increase’ in paracetamol misuse among teens.

The TGA says each year in Australia, paracetamol overdose leads to around nine people per million hospitalised with liver injury and two deaths per million – or about 50 Australian lives lost.
“While hospitalisation and death rates have not increased in recent years, there is a concerning increase of misuse in the community,” the TGA said.

In addition to needing a prescription for under-18s, the report also recommends limiting adults to pack limits and reduced pack sizes in general.

Do you think these measures are fair enough? Or is it just more nanny-state nonsense?

[KSS]

If the issue is really about under 18s self-harming with paracetamol then the answer is quite simple: prohibit sales to under 18s. We do exactly that with tobacco and alcohol so what’s the difference? And then make parents more responsible for the safety of their children just like parents of past eras. The report says that many such self-harms by under 18s are opportunistic even if intentional i.e. the paracetamol is available in their homes. Make parents responsible for the proper storage of their medications.

People with long-term chronic pain have already had products containing codeine removed from the shelves now the do-gooders want to remove paracetamol? All this does is increase costs to both patient and GP with appointments taken up for pain medication, this costs the GP more because the medicare rebate has not kept up with inflation and GPs are struggling to meet costs just like any other small business, and the patient has to pay more to cover gap fees in charges. Many will just not bother with medication because they cannot afford the costs involved and that is if they can even get an appointment for the repeat prescriptions necessary. This is ill-conceived and will harm many more than it will ‘save’.

[Author]

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