Medical professionals in Newfoundland say they're alarmed by the amount of drugs stolen this week from a St. John's apartment.
Thieves broke into a man's home on Wednesday night and took 324 OxyContin tablets, a five-month supply of the powerful narcotic. The standard dosage is two pills a day.
Joseph Tumilty said doctors should be aware of the dangers of prescribing greater than recommended quantities of OxyContin.
(CBC)
St. John's pharmacy owner Tom Healey said he would never give anyone 324 OxyContin tablets at one time, and can't name a single pharmacist who would dispense that amount of the drug.
"A 30-day supply is the norm of what would be dispensed at any time of those prescriptions," he said.
Police have not indicated whether the pills that were stolen in fact came from a single prescription.
Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association president Joe Tumilty said there are rare cases where a doctor could give a patient a larger than normal supply of OxyContin, but it could make that patient a target for thieves.
"The physician certainly needs to be aware of the fact that if they are prescribing greater than recommended quantities of medication that they potentially could be putting their patients at risk," he said.
Patients should also take extra precautions when they have any amount of OxyContin, he said. They should keep it in a safe place, hidden from view, and should not tell anyone where it is, or how much they have.
The province's medical community developed tough new protocols for dispensing narcotics like OxyContin after a rash of drug-related crime in the St. John's area a few years ago. The idea was to limit the number of pills in circulation and choke off the supply to the street.
Wednesday's robbery happened when three men, one armed with a knife, forced their way into a St. John's apartment after the victim answered a knock at the door. Police said they then located and stole the OxyContin.
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