Codeine crisis: Pharmacies run out of low-dose painkiller

PHARMACIES have run out of low-dose codeine painkillers under new over-the-counter restrictions on the drug, forcing desperate patients to seek scripts for much more addictive and powerful versions of the medication.

PHARMACIES have run out of low-dose codeine painkillers under new over-the-counter restrictions on the drug, forcing desperate patients to seek scripts for much more addictive and powerful versions of the medication.

NSW stores have been hit by a massive shortfall of popular painkillers Prodeine and Panamax Co — two common medications for acute pain relief that combine paracetamol and codeine.

The drugs became prescription-only this year under a mass rescheduling of all codeine products sparked by fears of addictions to high-dose painkillers.

Codeine can now only be bought with a script.

Due to the shortfall patients are now waiting in agony for the drugs to be available or are having to waste time and money ­returning to GPs for a new script for higher-dose pills.

The pharmacist can call the GP and ask for a new script but that avenue is restricted by doctor availability.

There has been no stock of Prodeine and Panamax Co for three weeks across pharmacist Rick Samimi’s stores, including in North Ryde and Western Sydney.

“It’s defeating the entire purpose of making these things up scheduled — it’s pushing everyone up to higher doses because of availability,” the former president of the NSW Pharmacy Guild said.

“At the moment we are totally paralysed for the section of ­patients who need low-dose codeine.” He said doctors and ­patients have “no choice” but to go to a higher dose.

Due to the shortfall patients are now waiting in agony for the drugs to be available.

Mr Samimi said the majority of other brands of low-dose pain pills were discontinued when the products became prescription-only earlier this year.

Pharma giants Bayer Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline both quit the market.

A spokeswoman for pharmaceutical company Sanofi confirmed Prodeine, Prodeine Extra and Panamax Co are all out of stock due to “increased demand”.

There is no end date for the shortage but Sanofi is “working to bring these back into stock as quickly as possible”, she said.

NSW Pharmacy Guild president David Heffernan said there was a significant risk patients would be put on to high dose products because of the shortfall. “It is a potential unintended consequence of the up-scheduling,” he said.

Australian Medical Association NSW president Brad Frankum said those who couldn’t get their prescribed drugs should talk to their doctor about alternatives.