Change we had to have

CHANGE can be scary.

Often the thought of any change can inspire extreme reactions in people who are far more comfortable with the status quo.

Such appears to be the case with today’s report that locals are stockpiling codeine medication ahead of change to over-the-counter prescription laws next month.

Products containing codeine, including Nurofen Plus and Panadeine, which can currently be bought over the counter at pharmacies, will become prescription-only ? from February.

Chronic pain is not something that should be selfmedicated, and those so desperate for pain relief that they can’t wait for a prescription for codeine products should most often be seeing a medical professional anyway.

And the very reason the Therapeutic Goods Administration initiated this change to begin with was to address the widespread abuse of over-the-counter medications and frequent addictions to codeine.

According to the TGA, misuse of over-the-counter codeine products can contribute to health problems including liver damage, stomach ulceration and respiratory depression.

Besides the ongoing serious health concerns, the hidden danger behind this stockpiling, of course, is the danger of people having medicine cabinets filled with out-of-date medication. There are also fears that people will switch from codeine-based products to other over-thecounter alternatives that could be ill-suited to their conditions.

It appears many of the fears behind this change surround the difficulties and expenses associated with having to see a GP. Seeing your local doctor shouldn’t be inaccessible, and people shouldn’t feel the need to turn to self-diagnosis and medication in order to treat their ailments.

These new laws should go some way to treating the symptoms of our nation’s reliance on pain medication. But they are unlikely to treat the cause.