WA TOP STATE FOR 'DEXIES'

WA Schoolchildren are more likely to be prescribed dexamphetamine than
students in any other State or Territory, according to Health Minister Bob
Kucera.

Mr Kucera said dexamphetamines were over-prescribed in WA and he hoped to
set up a policy to tackle the problem.

"I am concerned about the level of prescribing in this State - it is
certainly higher than in other States, in fact, much higher," he said.

"A policy, in the near future, will look towards fairly stringent
prescribing rules for this kind of drug."

Dexamphetamine is used in the treatment of children with attention deficit
and hyperactivity disorder but there is concern that it is getting
increasingly into the hands of young people who do not have the condition.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures published in June 2000 showed that
43.2 out of 1000 West Australians were prescribed dexamphetamine in 1999-2000.

This was more than four times the rate in New South Wales, where only 9.5
out of every 1000 people were prescribed the medication.

WA dispensed 64,695 prescriptions in that period. Misuse of the drug,
known among students as "dexies", can lead to insomnia, depression, nausea,
vomiting, mood swings, dizziness - and in severe cases, seizures.

However, the medication is safe and effective when prescribed appropriately
by a doctor to treat ADHD. A new information package to curb the misuse of
dexamphetamine in schoolchildren was released yesterday.

Mr Kucera said it aimed to reduce the non-medical use and supply of
dexamphetamine among students aged 12 to 17 years.

A 1999 Australian school students alcohol and drug survey found 20 per cent
of WA male students aged 16 and 17 and 17 per cent of female students of
the same age had used amphetamines for non-medical reasons in the year
before the survey.

Australian Medical Association State president Bernard Pearn-Rowe said WA
doctors did not over-prescribe dexamphetamine.

Other States and Territories in Australia under-prescribed because they did
not have as many paediatricians who specialised in treating ADHD, he said.

Dr Pearn-Rowe said moves to monitor levels of dexamphetamine were long overdue.

The package was developed by the Drug and Alcohol Office in collaboration
with the school education drug project.

It will be distributed to all WA schools.

For more information, call the Parent Drug Information Service on 9442 5050
or toll-free (country residents) on 1800 653 203.