# Painkillers With Codeine Will Need Script Starting February 2018

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/news-opinion/politics/painkillers-with-codeine-will-need-script-starting-february-2018/
- Published: 2016-12-21T13:20:55+11:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

## _The Therapeutic Goods Administration has announced that painkillers containing codeine will no longer be available over the counter from 2018._

The federal drug regulator said that the decision has been made because people who
consume codeine became addicted to it.

TGA’s principal medical officer, Dr Tim Greenaway, said the medication will change
from Schedule 2 or 3 to Schedule 4 in February 2018.

> “It’s important that people realise that the decision’s been taken based on safety
> predominantly and based on the risk of abuse.
> “Medication that are available over the counter or through pharmacies should be
> substantially safe and not subject to abuse.”
> “This is clearly not the case with codeine,” he said.

[⌊Tga to ban over the counter painkillers with codeine starting february 2018 | 
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However, the decision has been slammed by a peak pharmaceutical group, Australian
Self Medication Industry (ASMI), which argued the drug should be kept available 
over the counter but with real-time monitoring system in place. ASMI’s chief executive
Deon Schoombie said that most people using codeine do not abuse the product.

> “Our view is that the decision put forward is a very blunt a very broad brush 
> approach to the problem and I think we would have liked to have seen the opportunity
> for more targeted measures.
> “Nobody disputes the fact that there are risks associated with products that have
> codeine”�but the vast majority of people who’ve been using these products use 
> it appropriately.”

The TGA said that the misuse of over-the-counter codeine products results to severe
health outcomes, “including liver damage, stomach ulceration, respiratory depression
and even death”.

However, the TGA said that products containing codeine will remain available without
prescription from pharmacies until February 2018, which they said will allow consumers
with chronic pain to discuss alternative treatments with their doctors. The TGA 
added that patients could use alternative over-the-counter products such as paracetamol
or ibuprofen, or cough and cold medicines that do not contain codeine.

Source: [Abc.net.au](http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-20/codeine-painkillers-won't-be-available-over-the-counter-2018/8133996?pfmredir=sm)

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 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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