OTC codeine misuse costs

SERIOUS misuse of OTC painkillers containing codeine is costing one South Australian hospital around $1 million per year, according to a University of South Australia five-year review of hospital admissions relating to their impact.

Lead investigator Dr Jacinta Johnson said “serious misuse” of codeine-combination products such as Nurofen Plus, Panadeine Extra and Mersyndol had led to increasing numbers of people being admitted to hospital with stomach ulcers and gastric bleeding, and acute kidney and liver failure.

Johnson, a lecturer in UniSA’s School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, led the Australian-first study analysing the costs of 99 hospital admissions related to overthe-counter combination painkillers containing codeine (CACC) from 2010-2015 at a South Australian Hospital.

Thirty patients – many with multiple readmissions – cost taxpayers an average of $10,000 per hospital stay, amounting to a significant $1 million dollar bill.

Almost 70% were admitted with health issues relating to taking excessive amounts of ibuprofen-codeine products, while 20% reported using paracetamolcodeine products and almost 9.4% used both.

In some cases patients were taking up to 90 tablets a day – the average was 28 which is almost five times the recommended daily dose. People used the codeine-combined painkillers mainly for back pain, migraine and headaches.

The study was undertaken in the wake of a decision by the Federal Government’s health regulatory body to ban OTC access to CACC products from Australian pharmacies from 01 Feb 2018.

Johnson added a balancing thought saying, “It is possible that doctor visits will spike, adding costs to Medicare.

“That remains to be seen and will no doubt be analysed in due course.”

CLICK HERE to access the study.