The Ministry of Health will be asked to consider improving education about the risks associated with combining some prescription drugs, following a finding by the southern region coroner into the death of of an Oamaru man who was on the methadone programme.
Coroner David Crerar found that Lindsay Glen Angus, casual worker, died at his home in Oamaru in November 2007 from cardiopulmonary arrest due to the combined effects of consumed drugs he had taken voluntarily.
He found there was no intention of suicide.
Mr Crerar recommends that the ministry considers enhancing its education, drawing attention to the users of central nervous system depressant medications that effects may accumulate and that while such drugs taken separately may have no adverse effects, they may have toxic or fatal consequences taken with other such drugs.
Evidence was given that Mr Angus, an intravenous drug user and member of the methadone programme, had methadone and other prescribed drugs amitriptyline and diazepam at therapeutic levels in his system.
Morphine and clonazepam, which were not recorded as being prescribed to him, were also detected.
The report from crown research institute Environmental Science and Research (ESR) noted that amitriptyline, diazepam and clonazepam would have added to the central nervous system depressant effects of the methadone.
Drugs such as diazepam and clonazepam, taken with methadone could increase upper airways obstruction.
Approached for comment on the issues raised by the coroner, Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand chief executive Annabel Young said pharmacists routinely checked with patients about combined medications.
They also often referred prescriptions back to doctors if they had concerns about how medicines might interact.
About 30% of prescriptions resulted in some sort of intervention by the pharmacist, which could include both clinical concerns and matters relating to subsidies.
While Ms Young made it clear she was not commenting on Mr Angus' case, she said it was difficult for pharmacists to give appropriate advice if patients received prescriptions from several different doctors.
Work was being done in Auckland on the possibility of having an electronic record of all prescriptions, which could be checked by pharmacists, but the usefulness of that would also depend on patients consistently using their own names when visiting doctors.
There was nothing pharmacists could do about drugs which people might buy from someone while at the pub, she noted.
A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said since Mr Crerar's recommendation had yet to be considered, it was inappropriate to comment.