State experts are trying to reduce the number of opiate overdoses by limiting the circumstances in which opiates are prescribed.
State experts are attempting to battle the opiate overdose “epidemic” by suggesting alternative methods to alleviate acute pain.
The newest guidelines issued by Ohio Gov. John Kasich's Opiate Action Team came from the statewide urge to reduce opiate overdoses. In 2014, prescribed opiates, such as Percocet, accounted for almost half of the overdose deaths in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services. In Athens County, heroin use — which often stems from opiate prescription intake — accounts for roughly 10 deaths annually.
“An overwhelming number become addicted because they started with a prescription medication,” Andrea Boxill, deputy director of the team, said. “The only way those medications were getting into hands of individuals was the over prescribing and people not taking them.”
In 2014, about 35 percent of the opioids prescribed in Ohio were dispensed to treat acute pain, according to the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services.
Boxill said defining what acute pain is and how it’s caused helped develop the guidelines.
“If you have a sports injury incident — you’ve twisted your ankle or damaged your rotator cuff — those are acute care issues,” she said.
Boxill added that many people immediately want to deal with the pain by ingesting opiates.
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Boxill and the team of experts looked at non-traditional pain relief tactics, such as acupuncture, chiropractic measures and massage therapy, among others.
“Dealing with the pain isn’t always going to increase the likelihood of healing or assist in the healing process,” Boxill said.
Dr. Mary DiOrio, medical director for the Ohio Department of Health, also was part of the group that created the newest set of guidelines.
“We, as you know, have had an unintentional opiate-related overdose deaths in Ohio," DiOrio said. "That has been a significant problem.”
She added that in 2014, more than 2,000 individuals died from an unintentional overdose in Ohio.
The set of guidelines gives some reference material for people to have an open dialog about opiates with their doctors.
The latest set of guidelines is one of three produced in the last four years. Opiate prescription guidelines for emergency room use was established in 2012, and chronic pain guidelines were put in place in 2013.
The previous two guidelines resulted in more prescribers and pharmacists using the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System, DiOrio said. That system exists so doctors and pharmacists can see a patient’s history, which makes it easy to detect "doctor shoppers." "Doctor shopping" is when a person goes from doctor to doctor looking for an excessive amount of a certain prescribed medication or treatment after being told "no" by previous doctors.
The number of individuals “doctor shopping” for controlled medications decreased from more than 3,000 in 2009 to approximately 1,000 in 2014, according to the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services.
“We see many more prescribers and pharmacists that are using (the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System),” DiOrio said.
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The number of prescriber and pharmacist queries using the Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System increased from 778,000 in 2010 to 9.3 million in 2014, according to the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services.
In order to convey the details of the new guidelines to doctors across Ohio, Boxill said the team has been working with the Ohio State Medical Board, the State of Ohio Board of Nursing, the Ohio Dental Association and the Ohio Veterinary Medical Board.
“Long term, what we’re doing is asking those governing bodies and licensing boards to link renewal of license to being certified in training with this information,” Boxill said.
As statewide tactics continue, Eric Wandersleben, director of media relations and outreach at the Ohio Department of Health & Addiction, said there are steps patients can take to remain safe.
Asking about non-opioid medication and securely storing medication can alleviate risk, he said.
“Ohio’s new opioid prescribing guidelines significantly strengthen our efforts to combat prescription drug abuse because of the sheer volume of opioid medications prescribed in our state for acute pain,” Wandersleben said.
@Fair3Julia
jf311013@ohio.edu
