Screen Shot 2018-08-30 at 2.02.31 pm
Root canal treatment hurts?!!
December 7, 2018
Screen Shot 2019-03-01 at 12.56.43 pm
Can you handle a DENTAL EMERGENCY?
March 15, 2019
Show all

Medicine Misuse

medicinemisuse2

Medicine Misuse can happen to anyone? You could be at risk.

So often in the dental office, patients will tell us astonishing stories of their medicine misuse adventures, without even blinking an eyelid.

“My tooth was a bit sore, so my mum gave me some of her left over Endone  from when she had major surgery  in the 70’s.  I also took two antibiotic tablets. I’m not sure what antibiotics they were, I don’t know if they’ve expired … I don’t even know if they’re for humans.”

Okay. So we exaggerated a bit. But this is very serious business.

We all take medicines, but we don’t often stop to think about the risk that are associated with the medicines we take.

medicinemisuse1Did you know that alcohol interacts with over 150 medicines?

Did you know that codeine-related deaths are on the rise?

Did you know that ONE in TEN Australians, over the age of 14 yrs old, have misused prescription pain-relievers or opiod medicines?

Did you know that sleeping pills are not useful long-term?

Prescription medicine misuse has been declared a ‘national emergency’ affecting almost one million Australains.

Its important to be ‘medicine-wise’. Before taking any medicines, you should consult with YOUR doctor, nurse, dentist, allied health professional or pharmacist.
If you are not taking your medication as directed,you could be misusing them.

The most common examples of misuse are:medicinemisuse3

  1. Taking medicines at the wrong tome, or wrong dose
  2. Modifying medicines by opening pills or cutting patches
  3. Sharing medicines with family and friends
  4. Taking multiple medicines without advising your medical GP or allied health professional
  5. Taking medicines with other substances such as alcohol or illicit drugs.

Incorrectly taking medicines could lead to health problems, addition or dependency, poor judgement and accidents, as well as legal implications.

For more information, check out the NPS medicine wise website: www.nps.org.au

Be medicine wise, live happy!