Overdose deaths on the rise, benzos implicated: report Australia’s Annual Overdose Report 2018 – a Penington Institute publication – is warning that benzodiazepines, including sleeping tablets and anxiety tablets, have now become a hidden epidemic in Australia and are causing an increasing number of overdoses each year.
In 2016, benzodiazepines contributed to the deaths of 650 Australians and this number has doubled in the past decade. Deaths involving benzodiazepines have jumped from 812 in the period 2002-2006 to 2,177 in the five years 2012-2016.
“The medication is prescribed for a purpose but the lack of understanding in the community about the risk of not following directions, seeing it as a long-term way of easing pain or anxiety is a real, life-threatening problem.
Grampians Community Health chief executive Greg Little is concerned about the increase in overdoses, particularly in regional areas.
“Accidental overdose is an example of this. It is also a huge risk when people use multiple substances such as mixing depressants and stimulants.”
“People often don’t understand or appreciate that the majority of deaths from drugs is not from illegal substances such as heroin or methamphetamine, but from prescribed drugs,” Greg says.
Penington Institute CEO John Ryan says that accidental death due to drug use is dramatically increasing in Australia.
“Overdose is a very big issue for the community. This is why campaigns such as International Overdose Awareness Day are so important,” John says “This year we saw 747 IOAD events registered on our overdoseday.com website. We conservatively estimate that there were at least another 100 events held at a grassroots level by not registered with us.” Highlights of the day include the lighting up purple of the CN Tower in Toronto, a campaign across 2,500 Boots Pharmacy shops in the UK and firsttime events in 19 countries including Mexico, Cote d’lvoire, Romania, Tanzania and Togo.
IOAD activities in Winnipeg, Canada
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