Take time to remember on International Overdose Awareness Day
It’s a sad but true fact... overdose can affect anyone.
That’s why this International Overdose Awareness Day (August 31) Pharmacy 777 is offering its support to the community.
Unfortunately, overdoses don’t just affect the person they happen too, there is a distinct social stigma around those who have died from overdose and a misunderstanding of the overwhelming grief that family and friends left behind have to navigate.
International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD) is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose.
This year’s theme, ‘Recognizing those people who go unseen’ is about acknowledging people in our communities who are affected by overdose but might go unseen.
Pharmacy 777 Managing Director Kim Brotherson said it was important to bring the darkness of overdose out into the light.
“Medication overdose in Australia is a major issue,” Kim said.
“To save lives and reduce the high number of patients hospitalised due to medication-related overdose, healthcare professionals, including pharmacists are committed to harm minimisation measures.
“It’s urgent that we find ways to address medication dependence. The Penington Institute’s Annual Overdose Report 2023 shows that since 2001 there have been 37,000 drug-induced deaths in Australia. It’s a grim picture, six Australians lose their lives to overdose every day, with one person dying of an overdose every four hours.
“Patients are often confused regarding their medication regime and can unintentionally double-up on medications resulting in adverse reactions.
“As community pharmacists, we’re here to support our patients and help manage their medications safely.
“If you have concerns about your medications or that of a loved one, please talk to your 777 pharmacist today, they can help give you peace of mind and could potentially save a life.”
Australia in crisis
Penington Institute CEO John Ryan said Australia’s overdose crises demands urgent attention from governments and communities alike.
“It is no exaggeration to talk about an overdose crisis,” he said.
“Overdose deaths in Australia have exceeded the road toll since 2014, and we see little to no action to demonstrably change this.
“This is one of the world’s worst public health crises, with a devastating toll on individuals, communities and economies the world over, and yet with the right interventions, overdose deaths are preventable.”
Pharmacy 777 is committed to supporting the community on IOAD and beyond and closing the gap.
“We are committed to Closing The Gap and reducing the overrepresentation of overdose deaths in Indigenous Australians with the rate of unintentional drug-induced deaths being about three times higher than for non-Indigenous Australians,” Managing Director Kim Brotherson added.
“Dose Administration Aids play a very important role in this space and are currently fully subsidised by the Government for Indigenous Australians.
“We know that opioids continue to be the most common drug type in overdose deaths, and high risks from synthetic opioids like fentanyl have formed quite alarming trends.
“Recent changes to the Opioid Dependence Treatment Program available from community pharmacies aims to improve access and affordability of this service for people in treatment for opioid dependence. It’s crucial that patients learn how these changes can benefit them, because evidence shows that stable treatments with opioid pharmacotherapy programs can significantly reduce overdose deaths.”
International Overdose Awareness Day aims to spread the important message that the tragedy of drug overdose death and drug overdoses is preventable.
When evidence-based solutions are used, access to treatment is supported, and targeted interventions are implemented to close the gap of overdose death rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, governments, healthcare providers, and communities can better address this national crisis.
Pharmacy 777 proudly supports International Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday, August 31.