# E-DRUG: Re: Dipyrone - not in Australia (last message) **URL:** https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-re-dipyrone-not-in-australia-last-message/3190 **Category:** e-drug **Created:** [July 31, 1998, 8:16pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-re-dipyrone-not-in-australia-last-message/3190 "1998-07-31T20:16:26Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![peter.mansfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c77e96/32.png) [@peter.mansfield](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/peter.mansfield) #### Post date: [July 31, 1998, 8:16pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-re-dipyrone-not-in-australia-last-message/3190/1 "1998-07-31T20:16:26Z")
E-drug: Re: Dipyrone - not in Australia (last message) ---------------------------------------------------------- Our Cuban friends have claimed that dipyrone has been reintroduced in Australia. That is not true. However I do know of one case some years ago of an Australian man who narrowly escaped death from agranulocytosis after taking dipyrone which he smuggled back to Australia after a visit to the Philippines. Dipyrone was banned in Australia more than 25 years ago. I do not think we had reliable statistics about the incidence of agranulocytosis back then. The Boston study should not be described as reliable. Our friends ask for a safer analgesic. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is used very heavily in Australia without concern about safety except in overdose. I concede that overdose is a problem. However as self inflicted injury it is in a different category from serious adverse effects such as agranulocytosis and anaphylaxis occurring with recommended doses. When paracetamol is not strong enough Australians mostly use narcotics such as codeine and oxycodone with the latter becoming used more frequently in recent years than before. regards, Peter Dr Peter Mansfield Director, MaLAM MaLAM encourages pharmaceutical companies to provide more reliable information to assist appropriate health care. MaLAM Headquarters PO Box 172, Daw Pk SA 5041, Australia phone/fax +61 8 8374 2245 peter.mansfield@flinders.edu.au [http://www.camtech.net.au/malam](http://www.camtech.net.au/malam) [Note from moderator: with this we close the discussion on dipyrone. Dipyrone was also discussed some time ago on E-drug. Kirsten Myhr] -- Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'. Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'. For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.