Australia is no stranger when it comes to the opioid epidemic. As opioid prescriptions continue to become more common around the world, Australia is also coming to terms with the severity of the opioid crisis, as high-potency opioids increase in usage and prescriptions amount to over 15 million each year.
Luckily, the epidemic has, in most recent times, started to gain public awareness and as a result, the Australian government (alongside state and territory governments) has released initiatives in an effort to curb the epidemic such as promoting alternative medicine. Keep reading to learn more about the opioid crisis in both a global and Australian context, as well as the future of the epidemic in Australia.
What is the opioid epidemic?
Although commonly used as a pain-relieving medication (for both mild to severe levels of pain), opioid drugs are highly addictive due to their ability to relax the body as well as allow their patients to feel ‘high’. Overdose of opioid drugs can cause a barrage of harmful effects, including slowed breathing, nausea, constipation, drowsiness and confusion. In more severe cases, overdose can cause permanent harm to internal bodily organs or even death.
The opioid epidemic has been a severe health problem since the 1990s, although only reaching Australian shoes in the early 2000s. It involves the over-prescription of opioid drugs to patients by doctors and pharmacists, leading to drug addiction, overdose and increasing rates of drug-related deaths.
Australia’s history with the opioid epidemic
Since the 2000s, Australia’s number of opioid drug overdose-related deaths have increased in periodic waves. The second wave occurred in 2010 and the third was in 2013. In Australia, experts have found that the opioid epidemic has continued to worsen, as opioid prescription rates have increased 15-fold in the last few decades.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to the worsening of the opioid epidemic, as community anxiety and stress levels have hit an all-time peak. Stay-at-home orders have limited the ability to exercise and receive alternative methods of care for health issues. These include visiting physiotherapists or chiropractors for treatment for common bodily pains.
When it comes to statistics, Australia’s opioid related deaths have doubled since 2006, with a record of 8500 between 2010 and 2016. As proportionate to population numbers New South Wales recorded the largest number of overdose-related deaths at 2369, with Victoria following as a close second at 2311. Queensland also recorded 1740 of the total number of opioid overdose-related deaths between 2010 and 2016.
How is Australia handling the opioid epidemic now?
Currently, Australia has implemented a number of strategies to help resolve the opioid epidemic. The government strategies aim to reduce the number of yearly opioid prescriptions, as well as raise awareness for the potentially harmful effects of opioid drugs. Such strategies include prescription drug monitoring programmes (PDMPs) which aim to track the dispersion of prescription drugs, especially those with extra-medical use.
In some cases, state governments and territories have also started promoting drug-free alternative medicine options, which may be used in the first instance to address musculoskeletal health issues.
These options may include chiropractic (find out what a chiropractor does here), physiotherapy and other manual therapies, known to be generally effective in addressing musculoskeletal issues. This is done in an effort to deter the public from over relying on opioid drugs to treat their bodily pains and complications.
Overall, Australian state and territory governments are starting to ramp up on their responses to the opioid epidemic, however there will still need to be serious ongoing efforts to lessen the severity and scale of the crisis.