The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has banned all medical products containing dextropropoxyphene due to the harmful side effects of the substance.
Dextropropoxyphene is used as a painkiller and can cause drowsiness, headache, changes in mood, addiction to the medicine, skin rashes, hallucination, dizziness, constipation, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting.
The SCH has issued a circular to all pharmacies and hospitals in the country to recall all products containing the substance, either on its own or combined with other products.
Dr Aisha Al Ansari, director of the Pharmacy and Drug Control Department at the SCH, yesterday said a decision to recall all products containing dextropropoxyphene in all its forms had been taken following numerous reports about the dangerous side effects of the substance.
She added that the SCH was keen to ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines sold in the country.
Several developed countries have either banned these products or are considering a ban.
Sources from the pharmaceutical industry told The Peninsula yesterday that medicines containing dextropropoxyphene were not commonly prescribed in Qatar due to their known side effects.
“Very few pharmacies here are selling these products. They can be mostly found in hospitals,” said a source.
An overdose of dextropropoxyphene can lead to serious problems including hypotension, convulsions, coma, drowsiness, respiratory depression and circulatory collapse.
THE PENINSULA