codeine Australia

buy codeine Australia Australia has a love affair with codeine. It has historically been our most used opioid, and 2013 data showed we took more codeine as a country than the US, despite having roughly 7% the population.

However, from February 2018, you could only buy codeine in Australia with a prescription. Before then, you could buy low-strength codeine (up to 15 mg per tablet) in combination with paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin over the counter at pharmacies. Higher strength codeine has always required a prescription.

The 2018 change was not an overnight decision. Codeine has been on the government’s radar for over a decade; the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) set up a codeine working party in 2008 in response to increasing misuse.

Codeine is an opioid analgesic, meaning people can become dependent on it, and there is a risk of harm from overdose.

There was also an earlier attempt at reducing harm when, in 2010, all codeine painkillers were moved behind the counter at pharmacies. Before that, the lower strength products could be picked up off the pharmacy shelf without consulting a pharmacist.

Unfortunately, our previous study showed this move to stocking codeine behind the counter had little impact. Other studies also showed that deaths from codeine continued to increase.

The 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey reported codeine available from behind the counter at a pharmacy was the most misused legal opioid in Australia and misuse was particularly common in adolescents.

This left the TGA with little choice but to bring Australia in line with most other countries that restrict codeine to prescription-only. The TGA announced the change in December 2016 following a lengthy consultation, and the change took effect on 1 February 2018.

Not everyone was happy
The announcement divided community and healthcare professional groups. Pharmacy organisations opposed the change, whereas GPs were in favour.

There were also fears the change would lead to a massive burden on GPs as patients came to request codeine.