Call for ban on over-the-counter painkillers after young mother dies of overdose

Codeine is regulated in Ireland in terms of how available it is, but "perhaps this is not enough", said Tánaiste  Leo Varadkar. File image.

A young mother-of-two became addicted to over-the-counter painkillers and died of an overdose, the Dáil has been told.

Sligo-Leitrim TD Marian Harkin raised the case of Laura Newell during Leaders' Questions on Thursday, calling for Government action on the medications, which contain codeine.

Ms Harkin said that Ms Newell, who had daughters aged 15 and 18, died at Sligo University Hospital in recent weeks, and that her sister has written to public representatives asking them to raise awareness of the issue.

Independent TD Marian Harkin.

"She said that 'my hope would be that legislation would be put in place that would remove the medicines from behind the counter and be available only through consultation with a GP'," Ms Harkin said.

It's a long email, and it's heartbreaking because it tells how a 39-year-old woman died painfully from addiction.

"There's nothing extraordinary about Laura's story but it started her addiction. It started as a response to the need for pain medication due to undiagnosed endometriosis."

Ms Harkin said that addiction to, and overuse of, the drugs was not exceptional and that Ms Newell had accessed drugs online. She said that Ms Newell was able to purchase the drugs from chemists around the county.

"The core of this is that her family have decided to be candid about her death because, as her sister said, if there is to be any sense out of her loss, it would be the prevention of any other family going through this," said Ms Harkin.

Ms Harkin said that pain management was "woefully under-resourced" in Ireland and asked for regulation and legislation.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that he would discuss the situation with Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, but said that prescription drugs are often a "hidden addiction" in Ireland. 

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

He expressed sympathy with Ms Newell's family and thanked them for raising the issue, which he said is not talked about enough in Ireland. He added that endometriosis is frequently undiagnosed, but can be treated.

"I think her story tells us something that all of us know, which is that addiction can happen to anyone from any background or any walk of life," he said.

And it's really important that we recognise that people who suffer from addiction need help, and they shouldn't be stigmatised. They shouldn't be criminalised, and they also need to be reassured that if they seek help, their medication won't be taken away from them."

He pointed to the Disney+ show Dopesick which focuses on the Oxycontin addiction epidemic in the US and said that it shows what happens when addictive medicines are available freely without regulation. He said that codeine is regulated in Ireland in terms of how available it is, and the threshold for pharmacies selling it, but said that "perhaps this is not enough".

Ms Harkin said that Australia had banned over-the-counter painkiller sales in 2018 and it "hadn't caused the problems they had thought". 

Mr Varadkar said that he would prepare a "more considered response" with Mr Donnelly.