The hospitalisation of two NRL players from an overdose highlights the ongoing problem of prescription drug use, a UOW expert says.
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Dylan Walker and Aaron Gray were admitted to hospital in a critical condition this week after a suspected overdose of Oxycodone and Tramadol.
Dr Lynne Magor-Blatch from the School of Psychology attributes the outcome partly to the over-prescription of opioid-based drugs.
“There was a 13-fold increase in the prescription of Oxycodone in Australia from 1999 to 2008.
‘’That’s an increase in annual total from 95kg to 1270kg in just nine years,” she said. “So there is concern towards the huge increase in the amount of prescriptions.”
In 2009 Dr Magor-Blatch worked within a $20.1 million project to help tackle illicit drug use in sport and in the broader community.
The plan aimed to prevent illicit drug use in sport through educating athletes, coaches and administrators.
Funding for the project has largely come to an end, but the education continues through other strategies.
Dr Magor-Blatch said the problem stretches beyond that of medical professionals to the wider community.
“Sportspeople have a lot of pressure to perform,’’ she said.
‘’We as the public need to be responsible for that, we put pressure on them.’’