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Imagine if every home where prescription opioids, which include common painkillers such as codeine and oxycodone, were kept had a medicine that could prevent an overdose; these deaths could be a thing of the past.
Naloxone is a life-saving medicine that reverses an opioid overdose by blocking opioid effects in the brain; yet only 2 per cent of people prescribed opioids have naloxone at home.
Today is the national launch of the Opioid Safety Toolkit, an innovative new resource that will empower consumers with the knowledge and resources for the safer use of prescription opioids.
Developed in partnership between Monash University, Painaustralia and the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, with funding from the Commonwealth Government, the Toolkit has been co-designed with consumers and a range of health professionals.
The Toolkit supports consumers who are prescribed opioids with evidence-based resources and tailored information. The interactive tool helps patients identify their own opioid-related risks, make more informed decisions about their pain management, and offers guidance to develop an opioid safety plan to help prevent or respond to severe opioid side effects.
The public launch coincides with International Pain Awareness Month, which takes place throughout September and is dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of chronic pain.
According to PBS data, around 13.3 million opioid scripts were dispensed to nearly 3 million Australians for pain relief in 2021-2022.
Prescription opioids play an important role in providing pain relief for many Australians, but they also come with significant risks, including severe opioid side effects such as unintentional overdose.
Opioids remain the biggest contributor to overdose deaths in Australia, with more than 1000 Australian lives lost to preventable deaths from opioid overdoses each year.
The number of unintentional opioid related deaths has nearly tripled nationally since 2006. While this includes heroin overdoses, most of these deaths involve prescription opioids.
Monash University Lead Investigator Professor Suzanne Nielsen said the Toolkit is backed by more than a decade of research and will promote best evidence-based practices in opioid safety.
"Through our own research over the past decade, we identified a significant gap in opioid safety. Existing resources around naloxone were primarily targeted at people who use illicit drugs, yet it is a really useful safety measure to have in the home for people using opioids for any length of time," said Professor Nielsen.
"Our research has found that people who were prescribed opioids for pain are really open to naloxone but have limited knowledge about opioid safety and often don't recognise their own risk.
"Sadly, we know that most opioid deaths in Australia still involve prescription opioids, but these are preventable deaths."
Giulia Jones, CEO of Painaustralia, said the Toolkit could benefit millions of Australians.
"We could see Naloxone offered at the point of prescription, to have in the home for any accidental use and to keep people who have opioids for managing pain as safe as possible," Ms Jones said.
"We have a high respect for the 3.4 million people living the best that they can despite chronic pain, and we want them to have all the tools they need to live well and to get the most out of life, and safety is a part of that."
The Toolkit can be accessed at www.saferopioiduse.com.au and will also be disseminated via Australian community pharmacies.
Testing of the Toolkit found it significantly increased the likelihood that patients would request naloxone from their pharmacist and know how to use it.
Since 2022, all Australian community pharmacies have been eligible to supply naloxone to individuals at risk of experiencing opioid overdose for free with no prescription through the national Take Home Naloxone program.
Recent research found almost 40 per cent of community pharmacies across four of Australia's most populous states do not stock naloxone.
"Opioid safety is relevant to every pharmacy and every person who is prescribed opioids. We want to empower consumers with the knowledge to keep themselves and their families safe," said Professor Nielsen.
