Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Pharmacy Guild of Australia NT Branch President Peter Hatswell explains why pholcodine medicines should not be taken by anyone going under general anaesthetic

Transcript

Pharmacy Guild of Australia NT Branch President Peter Hatswell explains why pholcodine medicines should not be taken by anyone going under general anaesthetic · 360 with Katie Woolf

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  Speaker 1: We know that the Therapeutic Goods Administration has issued a
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  Speaker 1: recall of cough medicines containing fol codeine, and the medicines
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  Speaker 1: have been recalled due to a link between them and
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  Speaker 1: the increased risk of anaphylactic reactions to medicines used during
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  Speaker 1: general anesthesia. As I understand it now, patients are being
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  Speaker 1: encouraged to seek advice from their local pharmacist about the recall,
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  Speaker 1: and the Pharmacy Guild NT President Peter Hatswell joins me
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  Speaker 1: on the line right now.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning, Peter, Good morning Katie.
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  Speaker 1: Peter. Firstly, can you explain why this folk codeine medicines
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  Speaker 1: are being recalled? And I apologize if I'm pronouncing it incorrectly.
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  Speaker 2: No, you're pronouncing it perfectly well. I should point out
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  Speaker 2: if people are looking for this product in anything that
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  Speaker 2: they have at home, he's filled with a pH so
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  Speaker 2: it's a fulcating pH L cop on E. And the
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  Speaker 2: reason it has been recalled is because I think about
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  Speaker 2: November last year, the European Medicines Agency decided to withdraw
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  Speaker 2: all products containing folcanine from the market because they had
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  Speaker 2: noticed an increased risk, albeit rare, that people who had
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  Speaker 2: taken folcanine in the twelve months prior to a operation
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  Speaker 2: where they were undergoing general anesthetic that rarely but sometimes happened.
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  Speaker 2: They might suffer a severe anaphylectic reaction which could lead
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  Speaker 2: to death and which of course is very serious.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah right, that is incredibly serious. So tell me what
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  Speaker 1: types of medicines are we talking about here?
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  Speaker 2: Well, fulcanine is a very common product that's used has
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  Speaker 2: been used since the nineteen fifties in a whole range
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  Speaker 2: of different things, mostly syrups and lozenges or dry cough.
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  Speaker 2: So anything that says dry cough on the label, whether
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  Speaker 2: lozenge or the syrup, and even if it's just the
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  Speaker 2: sort of an all rounder, have a look at the
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  Speaker 2: label and just check to see if it has folcating
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  Speaker 2: in it, and that would be something that is basically
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  Speaker 2: going to be withdrawn from the market.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah right. I know that. I've even got some tablets
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  Speaker 1: at home for a chesty dry cough, and I wonder
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  Speaker 1: if they're in that list.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, there are more than one, and there are certainly
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  Speaker 2: a number of products that do not contain fulcating. So
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  Speaker 2: have a look at the label and if it doesn't
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  Speaker 2: contain fulcating, and it's not covered by this withdrawal.
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  Speaker 1: Peter, do you reckon that it's likely that a lot
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  Speaker 1: of Territorians would have medicines with fol codeine in it.
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  Speaker 2: I'd say it's very likely. Look, I've taken folcatin over
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  Speaker 2: the years, many many times. Dry cops are very common.
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  Speaker 2: People may not finish a bottle that they've had from
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  Speaker 2: a previous dry cough. Yeah, I'd be very surprised if
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  Speaker 2: most people who have a decent medicine cabinet, sorts of
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  Speaker 2: mixtures and things like that, that they don't have something
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  Speaker 2: in their cup. And I'd say that very likely they do.
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  Speaker 2: And if they do, the only well, you can't take
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  Speaker 2: it back. It's only a withdrawal from retail stores and wholesalers.
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  Speaker 2: So anybody who has bought the product really has it
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  Speaker 2: can either continue using it if they know they definitely
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  Speaker 2: won't be going under general athetic because it's quite safe
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  Speaker 2: unless it's combined with the general anesthetic. And like I said,
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  Speaker 2: we can't always know when that's going to happen in
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  Speaker 2: the future. There's twelve months that you have to be
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  Speaker 2: aware of this, and otherwise, I just if you really
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  Speaker 2: are concerned, then you just need to dispose of it.
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  Speaker 2: Take it into your local pharmacy and they'll dispose of
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  Speaker 2: it's for you.
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  Speaker 1: Peter, Do we know why that folkadine has a reaction
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  Speaker 1: then when you you know, when you go under general
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  Speaker 1: an aesthetic.
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  Speaker 2: I have asked that question this morning, but I don't
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  Speaker 2: know that I've really been told, like what the mechanism
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  Speaker 2: of action. I would really love to know how a
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  Speaker 2: drug one drug causes an anaphylectic reaction to another. Certainly
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  Speaker 2: a good question, and I don't know the answer to that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it does. I mean, it's just really interesting. I
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  Speaker 1: suppose to put it mildly. But as you've said, you know,
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  Speaker 1: really very important that if you do know that you
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  Speaker 1: are going in for an operation or something, that you
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  Speaker 1: need to make sure that you're not taking those mixtures
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  Speaker 1: or lozenges or anything with folkadine in it. Are there
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  Speaker 1: suitable alternatives available as well?
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  Speaker 2: Peter, just about track just a little bit. If someone
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  Speaker 2: knows that they've been taking a drake Off medicine that
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  Speaker 2: has had volcadin in it, and that they are going
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  Speaker 2: to go up for a general anesthetic sometime in the
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  Speaker 2: near future, they should just let the hospital or their
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  Speaker 2: health professional know that that's the case, and they can
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  Speaker 2: sort of kind of take that into consideration when they
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  Speaker 2: go into their operation. But there are alternatives. I'm not
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  Speaker 2: going to mention names because otherwise I'll create some kind
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  Speaker 2: of mad rush on it. Yeah, but there are certainly
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  Speaker 2: there is no other medications that are good for dry cough,
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  Speaker 2: and certainly, you know, if you want to, I'll say
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  Speaker 2: Fisherman's Friend. But there are lots of those sort of
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  Speaker 2: basic lozenges that don't really have any drugs as such.
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  Speaker 2: They get natural that people can take to sue that
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  Speaker 2: dry cough and they're quite.
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  Speaker 1: Safe and peter. Just to sort of recap on it.
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  Speaker 1: If someone is going for surgery under general anesthesia and
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  Speaker 1: may have had folkadine, they really need to just make
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  Speaker 1: sure that they're letting their specialist or their doctor know
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  Speaker 1: that they've done so.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, just before the operation, they're going to probably do
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  Speaker 2: some kind of you know, interview about what whether they've
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  Speaker 2: got an out of allergic reactions and what drugs they
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  Speaker 2: can take and all that kind of stuff. When they
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  Speaker 2: get to that point, they should note that, oh, yes,
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  Speaker 2: I've taken folkadeine three months ago or something or whatever
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  Speaker 2: it is. It doesn't really matter. It's like within twelve
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  Speaker 2: but they're saying up to twelve months before the general anesthetic.
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  Speaker 2: They just need to be aware that they can be
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  Speaker 2: just that a little bit extra prepared and watch out
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  Speaker 2: for the signs of a potential anaphylactic reaction.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Peter, I know that there are parents listening this morning.
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  Speaker 1: A couple of texts through and just sort of asked,
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  Speaker 1: do we need to be you know, like, do we
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  Speaker 1: need to be concerned if our kids have had medicine
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  Speaker 1: containing folkadine if they're not going under general anesthetic.
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  Speaker 2: No, not at all. It is perfectly faithed. It's only
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  Speaker 2: the combination of folcaden within twelve months, and the general
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  Speaker 2: anesthesia is the only time it seems to be an issue. So,
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  Speaker 2: you know, what has been a really good medication use,
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  Speaker 2: you know, more than half a century. It's not a
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  Speaker 2: problem for there are all those kids, and even if
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  Speaker 2: you're an adult. It's the combination of that general anesthetic
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  Speaker 2: that's the problem, not the judging itself.
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  Speaker 1: Peter. I always appreciate your time, and you are all
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  Speaker 1: my questions for me and all the questions that I
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  Speaker 1: know our listeners have got. So I really appreciate it
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  Speaker 1: and thank you for your time this morning.
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  Speaker 2: You're most welcome, Kattie.
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  Speaker 1: Thanks Peter,