Medications used in overdose and how they are acquired - an investigation of cases attending an inner Melbourne emergency department

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Penny BuykxAlison Ritter

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate which categories of medication are most commonly implicated in overdose, to compare this information with prescription data and to explore how the medications used in overdoses are typically acquired. A 12-month audit (11/2003-10/2004) of all medication overdose presentations to an inner-Melbourne ED was conducted and the medications compared to published population-based prescription data. Interviews were conducted with 31 patients who attended the ED following a medication overdose and typical stories regarding the acquisition of medications reported. The same broad categories of medications identified in earlier studies were found to contribute to the majority of overdoses in this study, namely benzodiazepines, antidepressants, analgesics and antipsychotics. Two benzodiazepine medications, diazepam and alprazolam, appeared to be over-represented in the overdose data relative to their population rates of prescription. Patient interviews revealed three main reasons for the original acquisition of the medications used in overdose: treatment purposes (77%); recreational use (16%); and overdose (7%). The most common source of medications (68%) used in overdose was prescription by the patient's usua...Continue Reading

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Citations

Apr 5, 2013·Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health·Samantha A HollingworthJake M Najman
Jul 28, 2016·The International Journal on Drug Policy·Rachel M DeaconNicholas Lintzeris
Mar 7, 2012·The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry·Steven MoylanMichael Berk
May 3, 2019·PloS One·Nikita VancayseeleKees van Heeringen
Aug 21, 2019·Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology·Agnessa KozakAlbert Nienhaus
May 30, 2019·Health Science Reports·Fatema-Tun-Naher SakeBandana Saini
Mar 15, 2015·Acute Medicine & Surgery·Yoshie KubotaAtsushi Hiraide
Aug 27, 2011·Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology·Steven MoylanMichael Berk

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