New city drug horror

ERIN PEARSON
GEELONG drug addicts are risking their fingers from complications after shooting up prescription drugs.
Overdoses on prescription drugs are increasing at Geelong Hospital as addicts seek replacements for illicit substances, according to the hospital’s emergency director.
David Eddey said the complications could be horrific.
“The biggest problem we are seeing, other than alcohol, is prescription narcotics,” Dr Eddey said.
“People are either seeking them from us when they don’t need them or attending emergency after overdosing on morphine tablets like Endone or Oxycontin.
“People are crushing them up and injecting them when heroin is in short supply.
“People can lose their fingers from this.”
Dr Eddey said drug use was “evident” in too many cases at the emergency department.
Emergency department staff did not generally test for suspected drug use but knew the warning signs.
Illicit drugs were also an increasing problem at the hospital, Dr Eddey said.
“Ice and amphetamines are very common drugs in the community and, unlike heroin, there’s no antidote. There’s nothing we can give to people.
“We only see these people when it goes wrong, so I have no doubt the people we see are only the tip of the iceberg.”
Ambulance Victoria Barwon southwest district manager Gary Jones said paramedics were treating victims prescription medicine overdoses at a “reasonably high level”.
“People don’t realise these drugs destroy your liver and overdoses can quite commonly be fatal,” he said.
Geelong paramedics reported “60 odd” drug overdoses in May.
Most of the overdoses were “prescription related”, Mr Jones said.
The Independent last week reported that police believed an increase in heroin use around Geelong was partly responsble for a spate of thefts in the city.
Burglary statistics were up 60 per cent on last year after thieves ransacked more than 30 stores and 250 cars in April alone, police said.
Barwon Health spokeswoman Kate Nelson said the hospital’s drug and alcohol support service had recorded an “increase in demand”.
People experiencing personal problems can phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.