Prescription medication has been revealed the most prominent cause for Australia’s peak frequency of drug-induced deaths in almost 3 decades.
Recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows 1,808 Australians died from drugs in 2016.
This is the highest number of drug deaths in twenty years, and is similar to the number recorded in the late 1990s, when the so-called ‘heroin epidemic’ was at its peak.
The deaths were most commonly associated with benzodiazepines and oxycodone.
‘These are both prescription drugs, which are used to manage anxiety and pain, respectively,’ James Eynstone-Hinkins, ABS Director of Health and Vital Statistics, said.
Source: ABS
Younger Australians (under 35 years of age) have lower rates of drug induced death when compared to 1999, while those aged 45 and over generally have higher rates.
Deaths from illicit substances like heroin and methamphetamines have quadrupled since 1999, as Australia developed one of the worst ice habits in the world. These deaths are more likely to occur among younger age groups, while the most frequent deaths from benzodiazepines and prescription opiates occurred among older people.
The table below shows a 20 year time series of age standardised death rates per 100,000 people. In addition to demonstrating the peak period of drug deaths in 1999 and the significant increases in recent years, the table also shows the consistently higher rates of drug induced deaths in males.
Source: ABS
Over the last two decades, the death rate for males has on average been 1.9 times higher than females for drug induced deaths. Although the incline in death rates is more defined in males, both males and females have experienced significant increases over the last five years.
Source: ABS
These statistics raise alarming questions surrounding the dissemination of opioid drugs in Australia. The drugs have proved to be more addictive than anticipated, with few ways to predict which patients will develop dependence problems. Opioids must now be prescribed within very narrow parameters, or not at all.
‘[Opioids] are essential, but potentially dangerous, medications,’ Dr Simon Holliday, GP and Chair of the RACGP Specific Interests Pain Management network, told newsGP in a 2017 interview.
‘That’s why we have to use them with great care for evidence-based indications only: intraoperative, acute trauma, palliative care, and for opiate dependency management.’
