Warning: This story discusses suicide and could be triggering to some readers.
A Kiwi woman who attempted to overdose on paracetamol is appealing for mandatory purchase limits to be put on the painkiller in New Zealand supermarkets.
Christchurch resident Millie Grant, 21, says multiple packets of paracetamol should not be so easy to access and is calling on stores including Pak'nSave and New World to enforce a purchasing limit, like Countdown has done.
Grant has dealt with depression since her teenage years, but her struggles came to a head over the last six months, during which she attempted to take her life four times. Two of those times were intentional and the other two were during a dissociative episode.
Grant is a sexual abuse survivor and struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental health illness that can begin when a person experiences or witnesses a stressful event.
A PTSD episode looks different for each person, but usually begins when the person sees or hears something that causes them to relive the traumatic event.
For Grant, dissociating is a large part of PTSD. She has episodes where she can feel herself "slipping away", and has to use practices to "ground herself".
"For me, dissociation looks like a blank time. I have moments where it is almost like daydreaming. I'll be sitting in the car, and my boyfriend will be driving and talking to me. And then he will realise that I haven't said anything, and am not even listening," Grant told Newshub.
"Obviously that's scary - but if it's only for 30 seconds or a minute, it's not that bad."
One of Grant's "most extreme" dissociating episodes occurred in October last year, when she was at Riccarton Mall, shopping for an anniversary gift for her boyfriend.
She saw the person who she says sexually abused her, which triggered her PTSD. She then entered a dissociative state of over four hours.
"Pretty much the worst thing that could happen, happened. I bumped into him, and I don't remember anything else," Grant says.
Grant managed to get herself home - while still dissociating - to her boyfriend, who realised what had happened when he saw how distressed Grant was.
"He noticed something was off, that I wasn't OK. I was starting to shake, I was feeling ill," she recalls.
Grant was told she bought multiple packs of paracetamol, which her boyfriend was able to figure out once he located the receipts in her bag. He immediately called an ambulance, and Grant ended up in hospital.
"The next thing I actually remember from seeing that person [at Riccarton Mall] is waking up after being in the hospital for a few hours," Grant says.
'It's so dangerous'
Grant does not blame the supermarket for what happened, but the worrying thing is no one "batted an eyelid" when Grant was buying the packs of paracetamol.
Grant believes a purchase limit on paracetamol could have stopped her overdosing while in her dissociative state.
"It's so dangerous. It's scary that you can have an out-of-body experience and do something so harmful," she says.
After dissociating and overdosing again six weeks ago, Grant decided she needed to make Pak'nSave see why a purchasing limit on paracetamol was critical.
She first approached her local Pak'nSave face-to-face, who told her she would need to put her request in writing. Grant sent a detailed letter to both the Pak'nSave itself, and the manager for the region, explaining her experience and why she believes a purchase limit of paracetamol is an urgent issue.
"I do not think Pak'nSave is liable or responsible for an individual's mental health, but I believe they are ethically responsible for change," Grant wrote in her two-page letter.
"I urge you to consider treating these products as you do alcohol or cigarettes, as they are even more dangerous when misused."
At time of writing, Grant has not received any response to her correspondence.
When Newshub contacted FoodStuffs, who own Pak'nSave and New World, they said they were "waiting for officials" to give them advice.
"We understand MedSafe is undertaking work on options to address the potential of imposing limits on paracetamol, and we’re waiting for officials to begin consultation on this work," Antoinette Laird, FoodStuffs' head of corporate affairs said.
'It can be fatal'
Health officials have already been "very vocal" about the need for a limit.
"The Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners have been very vocal about advocating for limiting paracetamol sales over the counter at places like supermarkets," president Dr Samantha Murton says.
"It’s a very safe drug in its prescribed dosage. But take it for a prolonged period, and it can become toxic to the liver and that's an issue that can be fatal. It can be a very dangerous medication and that needs to be more widely understood."
Grant has got her local MP's backing, Labour's Sarah Pallett, who says she "broadly supports" her.
"Having witnessed the devastating effect of an accidental overdose of paracetamol as a ‘cry for help’ that resulted in death from liver failure, I can’t see any reason to treat paracetamol as anything but potentially lethal," Pallett told Newshub.
"If people need larger quantities of paracetamol they are able to obtain this appropriately in consultation with a qualified health professional."
Pallet says Health Minister Andrew Little is also urging retailers to think about how they dispense paracetamol.
The Labour MP for IIam also hinted at potential changes to come.
"The Government is also working on a new Therapeutic Products Bill to replace the Medicines Act, and I am talking to the Minister about how the sale of paracetamol fits into that," she says.
Where to find help and support:
- Shine (domestic violence) - 0508 744 633
- Women's Refuge - 0800 733 843 (0800 REFUGE)
- Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
- What's Up - 0800 WHATS UP (0800 942 8787)
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
- Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
- Shakti Community Council - 0800 742 584
