Annual Overdose Report shows number deaths increasing in Albury, Wodonga and Alpine region

The latest Annual Overdose Report, released by the Penington Institute today, revealed 22 people in Albury died from unintentional overdoses in the five years from 2013 to 2017, compared to just 19 deaths between 2003 and 2007.

In the Wodonga-Alpine region the number of unintentional overdose deaths has increased from 12 deaths during 2003 and 2007, to 17 between 2013 and 2017.

Chief executive of the Penington Institute, John Ryan, said the rate of deaths in involving heroin, pharmaceuticals opioids, benzodiazepines and stimulants was increasing more rapidly in regional Victoria than in Melbourne.

"It's time to call this what it is: Australia's very own overdose crisis. And make no mistake, it's a crisis that is getting worse," Mr Ryan said.

"Few areas have been hit as hard by our overdose crisis as regional Victoria.

"You're more than twice as likely to die of an unintentional drug overdose in regional Victoria today than in 2012. This points to a massive failure to provide the kind of services and interventions that we know save lives."

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Drug and Alcohol nurse practitioner candidate from Albury Wodonga Health, Donald Currie, said it was important not to stigmatise people, but to instead remember overdoses were unintentional and those involved should be supported both medically and in the wider community.

"In our region we see a lot of misadventure with cannabis, alcohol, stimulants like methamphetamine (ice), MDMA (ecstasy), GHB, there also is a degree of heroin in the area but it's not as readily available as it is in metro areas," he said.

"But a lot of the overdoses we see in the region are associated with pharmaceuticals... either that have been prescribed by the a GP for a chronic ongoing illness or that they may have purchased through the black market."

The report found for the first time, more unintentional drug overdose deaths were attributed to the presence of four or more substances than only a single drug.

Mr Currie said people don't always consider how drugs, both prescribed and illicit, can interact.

He said it was important GPs, pharmacists and individuals were educated about the risks of combining various prescription drugs, or taking prescription drugs along with illicit drugs or alcohol.

The report found the number of deaths involving prescription anti-psychotics and anti-convulsants increased significantly over five years to 2017, from zero to 67 for anti-convulsants and from 21 to 192 for anti-psychotics.

Mr Currie said previous reports have highlighted that rural areas have less resources than major cities.

Regional Australians also face the 'tyranny of distance' when trying to access services that do exist.

Mr Currie said it was important to be aware of the dangers of overdosing and to remember drugs and medications in the community do pose a risk if not consumed correctly.