Tapentadol poisonings on the rise as scripts surge
Off-label prescribing is thought to be driving a rise in prescriptions in hospitals.
Tag: opioids
Nurse banned after burgling home of palliative care patient on Christmas Day
She used her employer's database to find her victims, stealing their opioids during home visits to 'check' their medications.
Doctors issue warning over ‘under the counter’ herbal energy balls
Queensland addiction specialists have treated 12 patients who developed opioid use disorder after consuming illegal Kamini balls that contain nearl…
New guide a ‘turning point’ in discharging patients on opioids
The drugs should only be used for severe pain and hospital patients must be given a tapering plan, say the ACSQHC's standards.
No wonder GPs are at a loss over how to taper opioids
An Australian analysis of the medical literature found 'no intervention stands out for recommendation'.
Low-dose opioid–analgesic combo effective in osteoarthritis: review
Researchers say it’s debatable if single-ingredient opioids are appropriate for managing these patients.
Patient’s overdose death in ED was ‘readily preventable’: coroner
The patient was found unresponsive while supposedly attached to monitoring equipment, heard the Coroners Court of Victoria.
Hospitals urged to ‘call GPs directly’ when changing a patient’s opioid dose
The recommendation came after the fatal overdose of a patient whose GP was unaware their methadone dose had been halved.
Patient’s addiction to poppy tea needs treatment
Doctors report on a Melbourne man who suffered severe withdrawal when he stopped drinking the homemade brew.
Review debunks take-home naloxone ‘myth’
Access to the opioid antagonist doesn’t increase illicit drug use, addiction researchers show.
