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From over‐the‐counter to prescription only: early results of the rescheduling of codeine combination analgesics

Malcolm D Dobbin
Med J Aust 2020; 212 (7): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.50560
Published online: 20 April 2020

Upscheduling has not led to substitution with higher strength analgesics, and has reduced the misuse of codeine‐containing preparations

As rates of problematic opioid use and overdose grow in high income countries,1 epidemiologic signals of exposure and harm have increased year by year. It is therefore encouraging to read evidence of a downward trend for one category of this complex crisis described in two papers in this issue of the Journal.2,3


  • Monash University, Melbourne, VIC



Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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  • 17. Cairns R, Scheffer AL, Brown JA, et al. Codeine use and harms in Australia: evaluating the effects of re‐scheduling. Addiction 2020; 115: 451–459.

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