Gen Y risky drug behaviour
December 9, 2011
GENERATION Y Australians are
more likely to take risks with
medications, including sharing
drugs, buying treatments online
and using the internet to self
diagnose illnesses.
The findings are part of new data
released by the Australian
Medicines Industry which revealed
that young Australians aged 18-27
are twice as likely to share
medicines as the rest of the
population, whilst one third use
medications not recommended for
them, compared to one in six in the
general population.
“The number of young
Australians prepared to use
medicines not prescribed for them
is a worry,” said Australian
Medicines Industry spokesperson
Dr Brendan Shaw.
“Medicines can affect different
people in different ways so people
should only be taking medicines as
recommended to them by their
healthcare professional,” he added.
The study was designed to reflect
real population statistics and as
such, involved 1,002 participants,
164 who were aged 18-27, and the
remaining 838 aged over 28 years.
Results of the survey indicated
that over 50% of Gen Y participants
seek medical guidance on illnesses
from the internet rather than from
a healthcare professional.
The main reason given by 45%
the self diagnosing Gen Y
participants, was a lack of time.
The internet was also found to be
an important source for obtaining
medications, with 21% of Gen Y
respondents admitting to
purchasing medicines from online
overseas suppliers, compared to
just 6% of those aged over 28.
“Buying medicines from overseas
using the internet is dangerous,”
said Shaw.
“They may appear the same as
the ones available in Australia, but
these medicines don’t necessarily
go through the strict safety and
effectiveness evaluation and
controls that are required in
Australia,” he added.
In light of the overall survey results,
Shaw strongly recommended that
health professionals be vigilant in
educating young Australians about
the quality use of medications.
“I think the survey shows that all
of us in the broader healthcare
community, whether it’s doctors,
pharmacists or The Australian
Medicines Industry, need to
continue working hard to ensure
we educate younger Australians
about using medicines wisely,” he
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