Dr Jay Gong: UOA School of Pharmacy lecturer on the concerns tramadol could be getting over-prescribed
Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive · Newstalk ZB
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (pdst.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
There's concerns tramadol could be getting over-prescribed, with more patients being given the painkiller.
Pharmac data shows more than 270,000 people were prescribed the drug last year - an increase of 14 percent since 2019.
UOA School of Pharmacy lecturer Dr Jay Gong says healthcare providers likely prefer prescribing tramadol over stronger painkillers.
"There might be some perceived ideas around it - because it's a weaker opioid, it's maybe not as addictive and maybe in the long run, you might not have as much side effects."
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.