Drug abuse fears
Anthea Cannon | October 14th, 2011
ABUSE of prescription drugs and a growing black market in Geelong has health authorities and police scrambling for a solution.
They say drug users are turning to anti-anxiety drug Xanax and painkiller oxycondone because they're easier to access than illicit drugs.
They're calling for a database to stop "doctor shopping", which fuels the black market.
Barwon Health drug expert Mark Davies said Xanax, called "angry" on the street, was a "complete disaster of a drug" because it made users extremely violent.
"I think it should be banned," he said. "Users can't remember stealing and having car accidents, it's a very difficult drug to use properly."
Geelong police say Xanax use has increased and is regularly found in raids.
A spokesman for Health Minister Nicola Roxon said she was working with the states to establish a national system to address forgery and doctor shopping.
Dr Davies, who founded the Barwon Health methadone program, said the highly-addictive oxycondones, mainly OxyContin, now represented 40 per cent of opiate users, instead of heroin.
"Oxycondones are like heroin, you're relaxed and calm when you're on them and then bad on the withdrawal," he said.
Dr Davies spoke about the dangers of the drugs at a seminar in Geelong on Tuesday. He said users either took a handful of the prescription tablets or dissolved and injected them, which was extremely dangerous.
Unlike oxycondones, there is no treatment program for Xanax.
"It's a very similar drug to rohypnol which was banned, it's four times as strong as Valium and you just need to stop it or change to lower doses of Valium," he said.
Geelong Divisional Response Unit Sergant Nick Ryan said Xanax abuse was "absolutely" on the increase.
"When illicit drugs aren't available, these drugs are easy to get," he said. "People 'lose' their prescription and report it so they can get another one but they're selling them.
"We're regularly finding them when we execute warrants cannabis and amphetamines are the worst, then Xanax.
"It's not coming from Melbourne, it's all local."
Sgt Ryan said, while amphetamines sold for about $100, Xanax tablets were $20-$50 each and many people took more than one or two at a time.
He said people on Xanax became irrational and violent and broke the law, not to sustain their habit but as a symptom of it.
"They are very difficult to deal with," he said.
Barwon Medicare Local medical advisor Jane Opie said, because of the severity of the problem, several clinics refused to prescribe Xanax, while others only prescribed it to long-established patients.
She said a system for doctors and pharmacists to monitor prescriptions would make a big difference to the prevalence of abuse.
"It's (doctor shopping) very commonplace. Every single doctor would have experienced it, especially within the central bulk-billing clinics with more transient patients," she said.
Australian Medical Association Victoria president Harry Hemley agreed that abuse of prescription drugs was increasing.
The association is calling for an online, real-time prescription monitoring system to stop doctor shopping, greater access to detox and pain management services and more prescription education for doctors.
A spokeswoman for Pfizer, which makes Xanax, said the product information cautions doctors about prescribing the drug to people known to be addiction prone or increase their dosage.
Purdue Pharma, makers of Oxycontin, did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.
XANAX
Xanax is in a group of drugs called benzodiazepines.
It affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety.
Xanax is used to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorders and anxiety caused by depression.
Side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, light-headedness, fatigue, unsteadiness and impaired coordination, and vertigo.
OXYCONTIN
OxyContin (oxycodone) is a narcotic pain reliever similar to morphine.
It is used to treat moderate to severe pain that is expected to last for an extended period of time.
OxyContin is used for around-the-clock treatment of pain.
The most commonly reported effects include memory loss, constipation, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, lightheadedness, headache, dry mouth and anxiety.
Source: www.drugs.com
anthea.cannon@geelongadvertiser.com.au
