In a move to curtail prescription drug abuse, Washington State is considering legislation that would require physicians to refer chronic narcotic pain medication users to a physician who specializes in pain management.

The need for this legislation stems from the over-prescribing of narcotics and under-monitoring their effectiveness on patients with such ailments as chronic lower back pain or arthritis. Proponents of the legislation have noted that terminally ill or cancer patients would not be affected and physicians would be able to prescribe pain medications as needed for end-of-life comfort measures.

“Prescription drug abuse is growing at an unprecedented rate today,” begins a spokesperson for Mountainside Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center . “Not only is this creating an increased need for effective drug rehab, but it’s creating an epidemic of fatalities from drug overdose. It’s evident that there are some individuals who truly are dependent on narcotic pain medications to function in their daily lives; there are those who oppose legislation controlling the prescribing of pain medications because they fear that those in need would be denied those medications. That should not be the case – in fact, referral to a pain management specialist would actually give chronic pain sufferers a better quality of life as the source of their pain can better be addressed and monitored by a specialist. In addition, it’s highly likely that a more effective, long-term solution will be provided to those individuals.”

It’s estimated that in the past year, narcotic pain killers accounted for 7 percent of the total prescribed drugs, and the number of individuals taking them increased by over a third compared to previous years. Increased use of long-acting opioids such as OxyContin and methadone has contributed greatly to the epidemic of death by prescription overdose, second only to car accidents in nationwide fatalities.

Via EPR Network
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