A UNIVERSITY of Queensland (UQ) study has revealed that oxycodone use in Australia nearly halved following changes to prescribing practices and packaging in 2019.
Dr Rory Verhagen from UQ's Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences analysed 6,999 wastewater samples across more than 50 sites between 2017 and 2023 as part of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring program.
"We tracked oxycodone usage over six years to see the impact of clinical and regulatory changes on this potent pain medication," said Dr Verhagen.
"Oxycodone use dropped significantly - by 45% - between 2019 and 2020, falling from 120 milligrams to 65 milligrams per day per 1,000 people."
The decline coincided with the TGA's 2019 measures to curb opioid misuse, including smaller pack sizes, added warnings, and updated prescribing guidelines.
Before the changes, oxycodone consumption had doubled in the preceding two years.
Published in Addiction, the research also examined other opioids, finding no clear trend for heroin use, while fentanyl mirrored oxycodone's decrease.
The study, part of the National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program led by UQ and the University of South Australia, highlights ongoing efforts to monitor drug use across urban and rural areas.
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