The Australian Self- Medication Industry says the "gross overuse" of potent painkillers is rare, and now harder to do following a clampdown on access.
From May, pharmacies were required to place ibuprofen and codeine- combination analgesics behind the counter, requiring users to explain why they needed them. A Medical Journal of Australia report highlighted the cases of 27 people, from 2005 to 2008, who required intensive treatment to break their addiction to the pills. They suffered a range of gastrointestinal and kidney problems, and one admitted taking up to 100 pills a day. "This needs to be seen in the context of the vast majority of people who use these products responsibly," an industry spokesman said.
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