Pubdate: Sat, 13 Oct 2001
Source: Age, The (Australia)
Website: http://www.theage.com.au/
Address: 250 Spencer Street, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
Contact:  http://forums.f2.com.au/login/login.asp?board=TheAge-Talkback
Copyright: 2001 The Age Company Ltd
Author: Richard Baker

HEROIN DROUGHT LEADS TO ALERT ON SEDATIVE

The Victorian Government yesterday urged doctors and pharmacists to stop 
prescribing and supplying some sedative gel capsules because of injuries 
being suffered by injecting drug users and an associated crime wave at 
chemists.

Health Minister John Thwaites said the use of gel capsules, particularly 
Temazepam, had risen sharply in the past year because of Victoria's heroin 
shortage.

Mr Thwaites said Temazepam, which is mixed with heroin to heighten the 
rush, blocked peoples' veins and caused chronic skin ulcers, abscesses and 
gangrene. Users commonly inject it into their groin, throat and veins.

Mr Thwaites said there had been 537 Temazapam-related burglaries at 
Victorian chemists between January and August this year, and that doctors 
and pharmacists had reported that people wanting the capsules were becoming 
increasingly aggressive.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer, John Catford, has written to doctors and 
pharmacists asking them to drastically reduce their stocks of gel capsules.

The Temazepam capsules, which are commonly taken by people suffering 
sleeping problems and which can be bought on the street for $5, were banned 
in Britain in 1996. Australia's health ministers are considering similar 
action.

Helena Jedjud, of the Innercity Outreach youth substance abuse service, 
said Temazepam had always been around, but had become more popular late 
last year as a result of the heroin drought.

She warned that the withdrawal of the capsules from chemist shelves could 
have side effects, with users often experiencing severe episodes of 
aggression and psychosis as they "come down" from the drug.

She urged the government to establish programs specific to Temazepam, so 
addicts could be helped to manage their withdrawal from the drug.

Sarah, a 20-year-old who has been off heroin and Temazepam for "a few 
months", said the gel capsules were easy to obtain and intensified the 
effects of heroin.

She was concerned there were not enough detoxification beds available in 
the state to cope with the Temazepam problem, which she said was in some 
ways worse than heroin because of the anger addicts often felt when the 
came off the drug.

Minh, a 21-year-old undergoing detoxification, said although Temazepam "ate 
away" his skin, he used it because heroin alone was no longer effective.

Pharmaceutical Society of Australia illicit drugs spokesman Irvine Newton 
said pharmacists had a duty of care not to allow Temazepam's destructive 
effects to continue.

The former Victorian chairman of the Royal Australian College of General 
Practitioners, David Dammery, called on doctors to learn to say no to 
people they suspected of being drug users.
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