If stricter controls were put on the sale and supply of paracetamol the incidence of suicide and parasuicide in the State would be likely to decrease, the regulatory body for pharmacists has claimed.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland said yesterday it was gravely concerned the medicine was on sale in a wide range of retail outlets, from supermarkets to petrol stations.
Its president, Ronan Quirke, also expressed dismay at the fact that the Poisons Council of Ireland, which is chaired by a Department of Health representative, had recently given the go-ahead for products containing ibuprofen, such as neurofen and advil, to be sold in any retail outlet also.
The plan hasn't yet come into effect, however, so these products are still only available in pharmacies. Mr Quirke said this should remain the case.
"There is no clear evidence to support this decision from a patient safety point of view," he added.
He pointed out that there are about 10,000 cases of poisoning involving medicines in the State every year.
Paracetamol is the most used medicine for suicide and parasuicide in the State, and ibuprofen is the fourth most used, he said.
"We would have concerns if ibuprofen became more accessible to the public that the incidence of suicide and parasuicide using this agent would increase," he said.
"Secondly, it has the potential to interact with a number of other medications with severe consequences and it interacts with a number of disease states. For example, it could precipitate an asthmatic attack in a sensitive patient," he added.
The pharmaceutical society has made its concerns known to the Department of Health and has written to the Government's new Office for Suicide Prevention asking it to undertake a consultation process about the availability of paracetamol and ibuprofen.
"It is the view of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland that stricter controls must be in place on the sale and supply of the drugs," it said.
"Consideration needs to be given to whether further restrictions need to be placed on pack sizes."
In the meantime, Mr Quirke urged pharmacists to be vigilant, particularly to unusual requests for multiple purchases of painkillers.