List of monitored medicines
An expert panel of academics, pharmacologists and experts in addiction medicine and pain management was established to provide advice to NSW Health when determining the medicines that will be monitored in SafeScript NSW. The panel also considered approaches in other states and territories when determining the monitored medicines list for NSW. To learn more about the criteria used to select the list of monitored medicines view the FAQ section below or view the Monitored Medicines Quick Reference Guide.
Monitored medicines include:
Category | Medicine |
Opioids | Including but not limited to buprenorphine, codeine, fentanyl, hydromorphone, methadone, morphine, oxycodone, pethidine, tapentadol, tramadol |
Benzodiazepines (prescribed for anxiety or sleep) | Including but not limited to alprazolam, bromazepam, clobazam, clonazepam, diazepam, flunitrazepam, lorazepam, midazolam, nitrazepam, oxazepam, temazepam |
Other sleeping aids | Zolpidem, zopiclone |
Psychostimulants (prescribed for ADHD and narcolepsy) | Dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate |
Other | Ketamine, pregabalin, quetiapine, cannabis based medicines in Schedule 8 |
A full list of monitored medicines is included in the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2008 (Appendix E).
Future inclusions in the monitored medicines list
NSW Health will monitor usage trends of medicines that were considered but ultimately not included in the monitored medicines list, and any emerging evidence may warrant reconsideration of their inclusion in the SafeScript NSW system.