Table 1.

The most common substances ingested in child and adolescent self-poisoning events to NSWPIC and VPIC, 2006–2016 (n=33 501)

	5–14 years	15–19 years	Grand total
Paracetamol*	1901	6028	7929
Ibuprofen*	785	2782	3567
Fluoxetine	428	1663	2091
Ethanol	207	1786	1993
Quetiapine	313	1534	1847
Paracetamol/opioid*	266	1257	1523
Sertraline	166	1315	1481
Escitalopram	91	762	853
Cough/cold preparations: paracetamol based*	129	704	833
Diazepam	113	718	831
Methylphenidate	317	500	817
Promethazine*	168	549	717
Caffeine*	200	463	663
Venlafaxine	61	476	537
Aspirin/acetylsalicylic acid*	112	425	537
Valproic acid	114	398	512
Clonidine	221	259	480
Olanzapine	64	408	472
Temazepam	63	405	468
Ibuprofen, combinations*	82	365	447
Bleach*	138	304	442
Fluvoxamine	86	349	435
Risperidone	146	286	432
Mirtazapine	60	343	403
Citalopram	62	326	388
Miscellaneous medicine%	88	276	364
Oxycodone	47	306	353
Herbal preparations*	82	265	347
Desvenlafaxine	26	314	340
Ecstasy (MDMA)	20	310	330
Amitriptyline	66	253	319
Marijuana	47	264	311
Doxylamine*	52	253	305
Amphetamines (illicit)	23	248	271
Alprazolam	44	221	265
Diclofenac*	59	204	263

Shaded rows: prescription medicine not approved for children in manufacturer product information.

Bold: not approved for children in manufacturer product information and not in Australian Medicines Handbook Children’s Dosing Companion (see the Methods section for further details).

Italics*: available over the counter/unscheduled.

%: includes cases where the medication was unknown, or purchased overseas/over the internet (not marketed in Australia).

MDMA, methylenedioxymethamphetamine; NSWPIC, New South Wales Poisons Information Centre; VPIC, Victorian Poisons Information Centre.