THE number of Australians who misuse pharmaceuticals is rising, with the number of deaths caused by these medications now exceeding those caused by illegal drugs, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Two main types of prescription drugs: opioid analgesics (including morphine, codeine and tramadol), and benzodiazepines are the focus of attention in the report.
"Over the past decade, there has been a substantial rise in the number of deaths involving a prescription drug, with drug-induced deaths more likely to be due to prescription drugs than illegal drugs," said AIHW spokesperson Matthew James.
"In 2016, 1,808 drug-induced deaths were due to prescription drugs, with benzodiazepines the most common drug type, identified in 663 drug-induced deaths.
"This is followed by 550 deaths from opioids (including prescription painkillers such as oxycodone, morphine, and codeine)."
The number of drug-induced deaths involving benzodiazepines rose by 168% between 2006 and 2016, an average annual rise of 11.8%, or 42 deaths, each year.
Earlier this year, the AIHW's 2016 National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed that Indigenous Australians and people living in remote and very remote areas were almost twice as likely as those living in major cities to have recently used a pharmaceutical for non-medical purposes.
Visit aihw.gov.au for the report.
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