The size and availability of paracetamol packages change. Here’s what you need to know

Changes come into force from February 1 about how paracetamol is sold in Australia.

This mainly affects the size of paracetamol packs sold outside pharmacies and access to paracetamol in pharmacies.

Changes, Announced by the Australian drug regulatorare in line with movements In the international arena To reduce damage to the toxicity of the liver and the risk of overdose.

However, there are no recent security problems when paracetamol is used as recommended. And children’s products have no influence.

What is paracetamol?

Paracetamol is widely sold under brands, such as Panadol, Dymadon and Panamax. Is used for treatment mild pain And fever for compact periods or can be prescribed for chronic (long -term) pain.

Millions of packages From this inexpensive and available medicine they are sold in Australia each year.

Tiny packages (up to 20 tablets) were available in supermarkets and other retail sellers, such as gas stations. Larger packages (up to 100 tablets) are only available in pharmacies.

Paracetamol is relatively safe When used as recommended. However, at doses with higher than the recommended recommendations, this may cause this liver toxicity. In severe cases and after non -treatment, this can be fatal.

Why are the rules changing?

In 2022, we wrote about how the administration of therapeutic goods (TGA) considered changes in access to paracetamol due to the growth of people going to the hospital with paracetamol poisoning.

Expert review was ordered found In the years 2007–2020 in 2009–2010 to 2016-17 in 2009–2017 in 2009–2017 in 2009–2017 in the years 2009–2017 in 2009–2017 in the years 2009–2017 in the years 2009–2017. Most of the parties were caused by intentional self -treatment, and about half of them were among people aged ten to 24 years ancient.

After the TGA report consulted With public Determine how to prevent paracetamol poisoning.

The options included a reduction in the size of packages, limiting the number of packages can be bought simultaneously, moving larger packages behind the pharmacy counter and limiting access to age.

The answers were mixed. Although the answers supported the need to prevent poisoning, there were concerns about the impact of changes:

• People with chronic pain, especially in regional areas, where it can be more complex to access pharmacies, and therefore larger packages

• People with confined income, if some products were made only on prescription.

Although the death of paracetamol poisoning is tragic and preventive, they are uncommon, considering how much paracetamol they operate. There is less than one death Due to the poisoning of each million parcels sold.

For this reason, it was significant that TGA concerned concerned about poisoning, while making sure that Australians still had simple access to this necessary medicine.

So what changes?

. key changes introduction They refer to the recent rules regarding the size of packages, which can be sold outside pharmacies, and the location of products sold in pharmacies.

From February 1, packages sold in supermarkets and places other than pharmacies will reduce from a maximum of 20 tablets to 16 tablets per pack. These changes adapt Australia to other countries. These include Great Britain, which confined supermarket packages 16 tablets in 1998 and I saw reduction in poisoning.

In all jurisdictions, except for Queensland and Western Australia, parcels sold in pharmacies greater than 50 tablets will move behind the pharmacy counter and can only be sold under the supervision of a pharmacist. At Queensland and Wa products containing over 16 tablets will only be available from behind the pharmacy and sold under the supervision of a pharmacist.

In all jurisdictions, each package containing over 50 tablets will have to be sold in blisters, not bottles.

These changes do not affect several paracetamol products. These include products for children, sluggish release preparations (for example, “osteo” products) and products behind the pharmacy counter or available only through a prescription.

What else do I need to know?

These changes were introduced to reduce the risk of poisoning from people exceeding the recommended doses. The overall paracetamol safety profile has not changed.

Paracetamol is still available from all current locations and there are no plans to make it only on prescription or completely remove from supermarkets. Many companies have already updated the packaging to ensure no gaps in deliveries.

Reducing the sizes of paracetamol packaging available in supermarkets means that a package of 16 tablets will now last two days instead of two and a half days if it is made in a maximum dose (two tablets, four times a day). Any pain that will not improve after compact -term operate should talk to a pharmacist or family doctor.

For people who regularly operate paracetamol for chronic pain, it is more profitable to further buy larger packages than pharmacies. Since larger packages (over 50 tablets) must be kept out of sight, you must ask the pharmacy at the ticket office. Pharmacists know this for many people it is right To operate paracetamol daily for chronic pain.