Take-Home Naloxone in Australia

Take-Home Naloxone in Australia

• Prenoxad is available in 400ug doses in 0.4ml syringes for intramuscular administration.
• Nyxoid is available for intranasal administration with a dosage of 1.8mg in 0.1ml.
• Take-Home Naloxone is accessible over the counter and with a prescription (S3 and S4).
• The Needle Syringe Program supplies Take-Home Naloxone products in Australia.

Determinants of Drug Use Disorder

• Early onset of risk factors leads to a cumulative effect on long-term risk trajectory, known as the Snowball Effect.
• Maternal ill health can result in poor cognitive development in the uterus, leading to learning disorders and behavioral difficulties at school.
• Multiple risks experienced concurrently increase the likelihood of harmful drug use, known as the Snowstorm Effect.
• Factors contributing to the Snowstorm Effect include peer drug usage, drug availability, parental approval, and low social engagement.
• Social disadvantage/low Socioeconomic Status (SES) is a risk factor for drug use disorder.
• Low SES is characterized by high drug use and problems, and is linked to disparity between the rich and the poor, leading to economic discrepancies, personal and interpersonal insecurities, and negative health outcomes.
• The Inner Level by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett suggests that more unequal countries perform worse on almost every metric than the least unequal ones, and that people with lower social standing have higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.

National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) 2022-23

• The most advantaged were more likely to have recently used drugs, with differences by drug type.
• Hallucinogens, cocaine, inhalants, and pharmaceutical stimulants were used more frequently by the most advantaged.
• People in the lowest SE areas were 1.6 times more likely to have recently used pain-relievers and opioids.
• There was a decline in the proportion of people aged 14-17 who consumed alcohol at risky levels.
• Illicit drug use was higher among young females than young males for the first time.