Common over-the-counter pain medications, alcohol, hand sanitiser and even bleach were the leading causes of calls to the NSW poisons hotline from the Illawarra-Shoalhaven area last year.
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Figures obtained exclusively by the Illawarra Mercury show 5173 calls to the NSW Poisons Information Centre were made from postcodes in the Wollongong, Shoalhaven, Shellharbour and Kiama local government areas during 2021. The calls came from both members of the public and health professionals.
While comparison figures with other years were not available, an expert said there has been a big jump in calls to the centre since the start of the pandemic, and this upward trend was most likely replicated in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven district.
The figures supplied to the Mercury also showed the substances that generated the most calls in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven district, and these were a mix of over-the-counter and prescription medications, alcohol and common household items, including hand sanitiser and bleach.
Paracetamol topped the list, with 287 calls.
This was followed by Ethanol (Alcoholic beverages), with 123 calls - one spot higher than the state figures.
Next was Ibuprofen, with 117 calls.
Prescription drugs, including Quetiapine, an anti-psychotic medication, was next with 86 calls, followed by Diazepam, with 73 calls.
Hand sanitiser was in sixth place, with 55 calls.
Prescription drugs took up the next spots, with Fluoxetin, used to treat depression and anxiety, racking up 47 calls, while valproic acid, a treatment for bipolar disorder, epilepsy and migraines, had 44 calls, and Mirtazapine, an anti-depressant, had 43 calls.
Bleach (Hypochlorite based) rounded out the list with 39 calls.
The NSW Poisons Information Centre is located at Sydney's Westmead Hospital. It operates 24 hours a day and is staffed by health professionals who provide toxicology advice to the general public as well as medical staff treating poisoning patients in hospitals.
Senior poisons specialist Genevieve Adamo said there was a big jump in calls to the hotline in recent years, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increase was reflected in the Illawarra-Shoalhaven figures.
In the past year alone, she said total calls increased by 6 per cent from 113,094 to 120,090.
"It certainly started with COVID," she said. "Calls have certainly increased, and that is in all areas of NSW. When I look at this list for the Illawarra-Shoalhaven, it is very similar to the top 10 list we see across the state."
Ms Adamo said while it was not known exactly why calls had escalated during the pandemic, there were a number of theories, including more people being at home, people being less likely to go to hospital during the pandemic, or people trying to self-treat illnesses or self-medicate.
There had also been an increase in deliberate self-harm poisoning attempts.
She said the sudden jump of hand sanitiser into the top 10 was a direct result of the pandemic and more people having it in their homes than ever before, while some bleach poisonings were also linked to the pandemic.
"Hand sanitiser is certainly one that started appearing on the list since the beginning of COVID and that has been across the board," she said.
While bleach was a common household substance and accounted for calls in the past, she said there had been an increase since the start of the pandemic.
"There has certainly been an increase in [calls about] disinfectants and bleach, and we have certainly done some work around that issue of COVID remedies," she said.
"We have certainly had some unusual experiences, such as people washing vegetables in bleach, and I would just say we would not recommend any unnecessary exposure to bleach."
Of the calls made to the centre in 2021, 17 per cent were the result of deliberate self-harm.
About 75 per cent of calls to the centre each year are from the general public while the remaining 25 per cent are from health professionals.
"We not only get calls from the public but calls from health providers such as GPs as well as nurses and doctors who will call us and ask what to do for this person who has been brought to hospital. A lot of the calls we received from hospitals are from deliberate self-harm," she said.
She said medical staff in smaller regional hospitals, such as Wollongong and Shoalhaven hospitals, often requested treatment advice from poison information specialists.
"What happens to the body when something is taken can vary quite a lot depending on a lot of different factors and we have consultant toxicologists on hand who work for the Poisons Information Centre and they have the resources to give them a quick and accurate assessment and [information about] treatment," she said.
Ms Adamo said Paracetamol regularly topped the list of poisonings, as it was a common drug found in almost every household.
Most of those calls related to accidental overdosing, often involving young children, while it was also a common drug used by people attempting deliberate self-harm.
She said poisoning caused by Paracetamol was one of the more complex to manage.
Ms Adamo said the high rate of calls relating to alcohol was often due to combining alcohol with drugs, and often this was the result of deliberate self-harm.
The prescription drugs found in the top 10 were used to treat anxiety, depression, mood disorders, sleeplessness and psychosis.
She said they were very common, "widely used and abused" drugs, and poisoning often occurred due to accidental or deliberate mixing with other drugs or alcohol.
"These are all common drugs. These drugs are often the ones that are seen in the top 10 due to self-harm or errors," she said.
"A lot of these medications are taken by people with disabilities and disorders, and we often get calls from disability support workers or group homes due to things like accidentally exceeding the dose."
Calls to the NSW Poisons Information Centre can be made confidentially, and the service does not keep records on hospitalisation rates.
The centre directed the Mercury's inquiries about hospitalisations from poisoning to the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD).
A spokeswoman said the health district was unable to provide a breakdown on poisoning presentations and admissions due to the way diagnoses were recorded.
Substances that generated the most calls to the NSW Poisons Information Centre from the Illawarrra-Shoalhaven region in 2021
Paracetamol - 287
Ethanol (Beverage) - 123
Ibuprofen (systemic) - 117
Quetiapine - 86
Diazepam - 73
Hand sanitiser - 55
Fluoxetine - 47
Valproic acid - 44
Mirtazapine - 43
Bleach: Hypochlorite based - 39
Source - NSW Poisons Information Centre
Details: Phone the NSW Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 or in an emergency phone Triple-0.
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Merryn Porter
Journalist with more than 25 years' experience in print and digital media who has covered most news rounds, including health, education, politics (local, state and federal), police and courts, with a special interest in women's and family matters. Highly-skilled interviewer and storyteller.
Journalist with more than 25 years' experience in print and digital media who has covered most news rounds, including health, education, politics (local, state and federal), police and courts, with a special interest in women's and family matters. Highly-skilled interviewer and storyteller.
