Pharmacy Daily | Gen Y risky drug behaviour

GENERATION Y Australians are more likely to take risks with medications, including sharing drugs, buying treatments online and using the internet to self diagnose illnesses. The findings are part of new data released by the Australian Medicines Industry which revealed that young Australians aged 18-27 are twice as likely to share medicines as the rest of the population, whilst one third use medications not recommended for them, compared to one in six in the general population. “The number of young Australians prepared to use medicines not prescribed for them is a worry,” said Australian Medicines Industry spokesperson Dr Brendan Shaw. “Medicines can affect different people in different ways so people should only be taking medicines as recommended to them by their healthcare professional,” he added. The study was designed to reflect real population statistics and as such, involved 1,002 participants, 164 who were aged 18-27, and the remaining 838 aged over 28 years. Results of the survey indicated that over 50% of Gen Y participants seek medical guidance on illnesses from the internet rather than from a healthcare professional. The main reason given by 45% the self diagnosing Gen Y participants, was a lack of time. The internet was also found to be an important source for obtaining medications, with 21% of Gen Y respondents admitting to purchasing medicines from online overseas suppliers, compared to just 6% of those aged over 28. “Buying medicines from overseas using the internet is dangerous,” said Shaw. “They may appear the same as the ones available in Australia, but these medicines don’t necessarily go through the strict safety and effectiveness evaluation and controls that are required in Australia,” he added. In light of the overall survey results, Shaw strongly recommended that health professionals be vigilant in educating young Australians about the quality use of medications. “I think the survey shows that all of us in the broader healthcare community, whether it’s doctors, pharmacists or The Australian Medicines Industry, need to continue working hard to ensure we educate younger Australians about using medicines wisely,” he

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