Welcome to the latest issue of Community Update, provided by the National Prescribing Service Limited (NPS). Community Update helps keep you informed about issues around medicines use as they relate to individuals and the community.

National Prescribing Service Ltd (NPS) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation for quality use of medicines. We provide accurate, balanced, evidence-based information and services to help people choose if, when and how to use medicines to improve their health and wellbeing. We are member-based and work in partnership with consumers, health professionals, government and the pharmaceutical industry.

NPS is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

In this issue

• New-look Medimate – now fits display stands
• Additional language resource for teachers – classroom packs
• Interim brand – NPS is updating its look
• R U OK?Day 2009
• Community partner programs targeting diabetes and arthritis pain
• Find your medicine name via the Better Health Channel
• Articles MedicinesTalk Spring 2009: Internet health searches and finding trustworthy information
• Medicine Update: drugs to help you quit smoking
• Current NPS health professional topics:
• • Choosing the best menopause treatment
  • Palliative care – disposing of leftover drugs
  • Identifying and managing anxiety

New-look Medimate - now fits display stands

Medimate, NPS’s most popular resource for consumers, has been updated with a more colourful contemporary look. We have also changed the orientation of the page from landscape to portrait to fit with the requirements of most brochure display stands. The leaflet includes new information about generic medicines and the NPS Medicine Name Finder, a search tool for identifying medicines and active ingredient names.

Medimate gives readers information about how to effectively manage medicines in partnership with their doctor and pharmacist. It is designed to help answer common medicine questions and improve understanding about medicines use. There’s space to make notes or write questions about medicines to use when visiting a doctor or pharmacist.

You can download Medimate or order printed copies from the NPS website to distribute through your own networks. Translated versions of Medimate are available in Chinese, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Croatian and Macedonian.

Additional resource for ESL teachers - Get to know your medicines classroom packs (15 booklets)

Teachers who recently ordered the Get to know your medicines: English as a second language (ESL) teacher’s resource kit may also like to order a classroom pack. The classroom packs are free and contain 15 copies of each of the six books you received in the teaching resource kit. With a classroom pack each student can have their own books to follow. There is no teacher guide or CD in the classroom pack which needs to be used in combination with the ESL teaching resource you have already ordered.

The ESL teaching resource was developed by NPS and the Adult Multicultural and Education Service (Victoria), in partnership with the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA). The resource kit has been very popular but is now out of stock.

If you recently ordered the Get to know your medicines ESL teaching resource and would like to order a classroom pack, please email your contact and address details to Catherine Morahan: cmorahan@nps.org.au

Interim brand – NPS is updating its look  

It’s been 10 years since NPS began producing quality, evidence-based materials and we think it is time to refresh our look.

Over the coming months you may notice various changes to our logo, branding and publications as we get closer to a fresh new look that works for NPS today and into the future. This includes the use of bright, bold colours in our printed materials and a new character, ‘the thinker’, on a cube. This is all part of our 'Thinking Differently' approach and will help build our profile across our diverse audiences. 

R U OK?Day

More than 2000 Australians commit suicide each year; three-quarters of them are male. This is more than the number of people killed in car accidents annually.

On Sunday 29 November R U OK?Day will bring Australians together in a bid to help prevent risk factors contributing to suicide. It will also promote awareness of information and support by raising the profile of existing organisations that provide these services. The campaign encourages people to reach out to friends and loved ones and simply ask: are you OK?

The NPS is an official supporter of R U OK? Day and we ask that you please let your friends, family and stakeholders know about the event.

For further information visit www.ruokday.com.au.

Community partner programs targeting diabetes and arthritis pain

NPS is currently working in partnership with Diabetes Tasmania and Arthritis NSW to help people with type 2 diabetes and arthritic pain get the best out of their medicines.

Our partners have undertaken extensive consultation with their members and stakeholder organisations to identify much needed resources such as audio-visual information and a pain diary.

Diabetes Tasmania is producing a DVD titled ‘Diabetes, medicines and me – a guide for people living with type 2 diabetes’. The DVD, divided into 11 topics, will be available in English, Cantonese, Mandarin and German. It is scheduled for release via the NPS and Diabetes Tasmania websites in mid November. A limited number of hard copy DVDs will also be made available.

Arthritis NSW is in the final stages of consumer testing a pain management diary. It will be available in English and Chinese and is due for release in early November.

The resources are designed to be used in conjunction with GPs and other health professionals, and are ideal for educational presentations to community groups.

To request hard copy materials or for more information please contact Sue Corlette at scorlette@nps.org.au.

Find your medicine name via the Better Health Channel

The NPS Medicine Name Finder can now be found on the Better Health Channel, a popular consumer health website, as well as the NPS site and in the library of Google gadgets.

Knowing the name of the active ingredient in a medicine can prevent accidentally taking more medicine than you need. Most medicines are known by the brand name rather than the active ingredient name. To help people quickly identify the active ingredient in their prescription medicines, NPS created the NPS Medicine Name Finder in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

If you would like to place a link to the NPS Medicine Name Finder on your website please contact Kerren Hosking at khosking@nps.org.au.

MedicinesTalk – Spring 2009: Internet health searches and finding trustworthy information

The spring edition of MedicinesTalk is now available and has information about:

• Finding reliable sources of health information on the Internet
• How to judge the quality of health information
• How your organisation can use MedicinesTalk.

To subscribe to MedicinesTalk tick the box on the ‘Publications’ section of this order form, provide your details and submit.

You can also use MedicinesTalk articles in your newsletters. Simply reproduce the article in full and include acknowledgment of NPS and the relevant issue date: e.g. 'Reproduced with permission, National Prescribing Service, MedicinesTalk <issue month and year>'.

You can opt in to receive hard copies of future issues and other free NPS information by visiting the NPS online catalogue.

Medicine Update – drugs to help people quit smoking

In a recent issue of Medicine Update, NPS reviewed a smoking cessation medicine made with the active ingredient varenicline. Varenicline is used together with counselling to help people stop smoking cigarettes.

Every year, nearly half of all Australian smokers try to quit. However, less than 10% actually stop smoking for a month or more. While medicines play an important role in helping people quit, most people quit smoking without medicines. Going cold turkey works for some people. Supportive counselling and the help of family and friends can also be vital. A doctor, pharmacist, practice nurse or Quitline advisor can also provide people looking to quit with important tips for success.

If people are considering taking a medicine to help them give up smoking, it is important they weigh up the expected benefits and the possible risks of the new medicine, compared with other available medicines or treatments, in consultation with their doctor. Risks and benefits differ between medicines and from person to person. To read more visit the Medicine Update archive.

Current NPS health professional topics: menopause, palliative care and anxiety

NPS provides evidence-based information to help health professionals improve their prescribing practices and the use of medicines. Recently, NPS has focused on menopause, palliative care and end of life issues, and identifying and managing anxiety. Outlined below are some key facts about these topics that you may not already know.

Choosing the best menopause treatment

The final menstrual period generally happens when women are between 40 and 58 years old. As the production of oestrogen by the ovaries slows down hormone levels change and fluctuate, sometimes causing symptoms such as hot flushes and/or night sweats, trouble sleeping and vaginal dryness.

Troublesome symptoms of menopause are a fact of life for some women but many are unsure which treatment options are safe and effective and don’t feel confident discussing options with their health professional.

While Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) has received mixed reviews in recent years, for some women it’s still the most effective option if a decision is made to use a medicine.

‘Research indicates that HRT — oestrogen with or without progestogen — can result in 75 per cent reduction in hot flush frequency per week compared to placebo,’ NPS senior clinical adviser, Judith Mackson said.

‘Women may be reluctant to use HRT following media reports on the concerns and risks of HRT. This has led to an increased interest in alternate therapies such as vitamins and herbs. Even though complementary medicines appear safer, there is little clinical evidence supporting their efficacy.’

‘Alternate remedies should always be taken with the same caution as any other medicine,’ Ms Mackson said.

To find out more read the NPS menopause media release or speak with your doctor.

Palliative care: disposing of leftover drugs

Thanks to advances in healthcare, more palliative care patients are able spend their last days in the comfort of their homes. However, their medicine regimens may change frequently during their last weeks resulting in large amounts of unused medicines. This means the burden of medicine disposal lies with the family, who are often left with potent medicines including benzodiazepines and opiates.

The disposal of unused medicines is one of a number of issues identified in a report by NPS and Palliative Care Australia examining quality use of medicines in palliative and end of life care. This report was presented at the Palliative Care 2009 conference in September, and was informed by submissions from more than 70 healthcare organisations and individuals. It is the first to document a shared understanding of the barriers to the best use of medicines during the end stages of life.

To view the full report visit the NPS website.

Identifying symptoms and treating anxiety

Up to one in five people presenting to GPs and pharmacists will experience symptoms of an anxiety disorder at some point during their life.

‘Anxiety disorders are characterised by combinations of key symptoms; excessive anxiety, fear, worry, avoidance and compulsive rituals that are associated with impaired function or significant distress,’ NPS senior clinical adviser, Judith Mackson said.

‘Anxiety symptoms may be primary or secondary to other physical or psychiatric disorders. To accurately diagnose anxiety disorders, health professionals need to characterise all the anxiety symptoms against criteria.’

‘Psychological therapies should be the first treatment choice in most anxiety disorders to control symptoms and improve function. This includes cognitive behavioural therapy and other non-drug strategies,’ Ms Mackson said.

If psychological and other non-drug therapies do not provide sufficient benefit, an antidepressant may be considered. However, there is no evidence that starting with combined therapy is more effective than either an antidepressant or psychological therapies alone.

‘Health professionals also need to consider the adverse effect profile before prescribing an antidepressant. Not all antidepressants have been assessed for efficacy for all anxiety disorders, nor can efficacy be generalised across an antidepressant class,’ Ms Mackson warned.

‘In general, benzodiazepines should only be recommended for people who have not responded to at least two therapies, as they may cause dependence. This is particularly the case in those with a history of dependence on alcohol and/or other drugs,’ Ms Mackson said.

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