New rules on paracetamol sales will come into effect this Saturday.
Supermarkets, petrol stations and convenience stores will sell smaller packs and buyers will face restrictions on the number of packs per transaction.
“Despite its prevalence, paracetamol is not a harmless drug as many people might assume. It can cause hepatotoxicity, which is injury to the liver. In some cases, it can cause acute liver failure and even irreversible liver injury requiring liver transplantation said Dr Kate Wang, Senior Lecturer and Pharmacist, RMIT.
“Each year, about 225 Australians are hospitalised due to liver injury. And, in children under five, paracetamol accounts for about 16% of hospital admissions due to medicine-related poisoning.
“The accessibility of paracetamol increases the risk of overdose, particularly as it is found in many over-the-counter cold and flu medications, which might come as a surprise to consumers.
“The changes to scheduling and packaging of paracetamol presents an opportunity for pharmacists to engage in a discussion with patients to make them aware of the benefits and risks.
“These conversations can help pharmacists to assess whether patients are taking other medications containing paracetamol, or if they have pre-existing liver conditions that necessitate caution in its use. Patients with a therapeutic need for paracetamol will still have access to it and shouldn’t be disadvantaged by these regulatory changes.
“There may be concerns around an increased workload for pharmacists, who already often face significant workloads. However, pharmacists are the medication experts in frontline healthcare. Addressing staff workload concerns should be approached separately without compromising safe practices and patient-centred care.”
Robert is the founder of AustralianSenior.com.
He studied Journalism and Marketing at USC and TV Presentation at NIDA. He is passionate about advocating for seniors and presenting non-biased, fact-based news to enable those over 50 to thrive in an increasingly complicated digital world. He covers all areas of life and style, from pop culture to the economy and travel to events. If it's worth reading, it's worth writing about.
He loves to travel the globe and is a recently diagnosed, late-in-life Type One Diabetic.