POISONINGS by modified release (MR) paracetamol when up-scheduled to S3 were analysed in a new study in last month's The Medical Journal of Australia.
The study evaluated whether re-scheduling was associated with changes in the numbers of overdoses with MR paracetamol, immediate-release paracetamol, and other OTC analgesics reported to the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre to the end of Aug 2022.
The study assessed changes in monthly overdose numbers using interrupted time series analysis.
Researchers found that poisonings with MR paracetamol did not significantly decline after its re-scheduling as an S3 medicine.
The number was increasing prior to re-scheduling, and continued to do so subsequently.
The increase in overdoses with ibuprofen and other OTC analgesics may indicate that people were switching analgesics; as MR paracetamol is more toxic than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, this would be consistent with harm reduction, the researchers said
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