What a nightmare....All in the name of opiod addiction prevention.... what a nightmare for NJ home health nurses for patients with new acute pain due to fracture, new cancer DX, post surgery, Sickle cell crisis..... will just drive up ER business. Fifteen day limit would be more reasonable. Some PCP in Philly/NJ area have 30+ days before patient can get appointment post hospitalization! Karen
TRENTON - Gov. Christie wants to tackle opioid addiction by limiting the number of pills physicians can initially prescribe - an idea experts say could reduce excess supply but may cause some pain patients to go days without medication.
Christie, a Republican serving the last year of his second term, last week ordered new rules that would limit doctors to writing initial prescriptions for five days' worth of opioid-based medications, down from 30.
The regulation would apply to patients with acute pain, such as a broken wrist, not those with chronic pain. Following a consultation, either by phone or in person, doctors could prescribe more opioids, such as oxycodone and fentanyl, to acute-care patients....
...Half of those who abuse the drugs report getting them from a friend or relative, according to 2013-14 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
"Many prescriptions may be written for clinically appropriate purposes and still inadvertently contribute to the epidemic because they go unused and ultimately are given or sold to friends or family members," he said
I happen to have seen a video in which Christie tells a powerful story about a close friend of his who was undone by prescription narcotics. His friend was a classmate of his; professional, athlete, with wife, kids, house in the suburbs ect. His friend ended up dying homeless, literally the worst case outcome. Although I don't agree with a politician necessarily dipping into this pool, his story makes his passion for this issue clear. It's a bold move and I will be interested to see how it affects this issue.
We all have experienced tragedies in our lives. I don't think that should prompt us to over-react. Because Governor Christie's friend succumbed to opiates, we should deny many others legitimately needed pain medicine? No.
This is all too common in our society today, overreaction. Someone has a tragedy, starts a movement, then a new law is enacted that takes away the rights of many. It happens all the time.
At some point, we have to say that individuals bear the responsibility for their bad choices. We shouldn't punish everyone for the mistakes of a few. I'm totally opposed to that type of thing.
I cannot take NSAIDS because I have had 2 GI bleeds. I wish people would realize that everybody cannot take NSAIDS and that Tylenol isn't enough for arthritis, cancer, etc. Most of the docs I work with give very, very little pain meds, period, which makes it harder to take care of the patients who have been on chronic pain meds for years. I have arthritis, and really worry about what I will be able to use for my pain, if I can't get a prescription for a narcotic. Most of the doctors around here want to send you to a pain specialist, even if all you need is Norco. That adds more money and aggravation to it. A week or two of pain meds for post-op patients may indeed be adequate, but what about the chronic pain patients.......
Specializes in ub-Acute/LTC, Home Health, L&D, Peds.
What a nightmare....All in the name of opiod addiction prevention.... what a nightmare for NJ home health nurses for patients with new acute pain due to fracture, new cancer DX, post surgery, Sickle cell crisis..... will just drive up ER business. Fifteen day limit would be more reasonable. Some PCP in Philly/NJ area have 30+ days before patient can get appointment post hospitalization! Karen
It actually seems like common sense to me. Surplus supply of opiates in the home is a major contributor to opiate abuse and addiction, so it's totally reasonable to avoid those surplus supplies as much as possible, and giving people a 30 day of supply when they often only require a few days to a week of opiates is where most of those extra opiates come from.
I would agree it's impractical if it requires a face-to-face with the prescriber, but it doesn't, in only requires a phone call, and if it applied to all refills, which it doesn't, it only applies to the first time the opiate is filled.
Emergent, RN
4,305 Posts
We all have experienced tragedies in our lives. I don't think that should prompt us to over-react. Because Governor Christie's friend succumbed to opiates, we should deny many others legitimately needed pain medicine? No.
This is all too common in our society today, overreaction. Someone has a tragedy, starts a movement, then a new law is enacted that takes away the rights of many. It happens all the time.
At some point, we have to say that individuals bear the responsibility for their bad choices. We shouldn't punish everyone for the mistakes of a few. I'm totally opposed to that type of thing.