New Data Shows Decline in Opioid Prescribing but Rise in Fatal Overdoses

http://www.nabp.net/news/new-data-shows-decline-in-opioid-prescribing-but-rise-in-fatal-overdoses

1. Opioid prescriptions have fallen in 49 states since 2013, according to data published in a recent New York Times article. West Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma had some of the most significant declines. According to the article, experts indicate the decline may be a result of doctors becoming more aware about the “highly addictive nature of the drugs and that federal and state efforts to curb them are having an effect.” The article notes that each year from 2013 to 2015 the number of prescriptions have dropped, based on a review of several data sources. For instance, IMS Health reports a 12% drop in opioid prescriptions nationally since 2012. Symphony Health Solutions found a decline of approximately 18% during those years.
A contributing factor to the decline, The New York Times notes, was after US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) rescheduled hydrocodone combination products from Schedule III to Schedule II. In the year after the DEA rescheduling, 26.3 million fewer hydrocodone combination product prescriptions were written and 1.1 billion fewer hydrocodone combination product tablets were dispensed, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. Refills accounted for 73.7% of the decline and were “essentially eliminated by March 2015,” indicates the JAMA study. DEA’s final rule rescheduling hydrocodone combination products, while prohibiting refills, can permit patients to receive multiple prescriptions that can provide up to a 90-day supply. State prescription drug monitoring programs have also contributed to the decline, reports The New York Times.
Although the number of opioid prescriptions has declined, fatal overdoses from opioids have increased, according to the most recent federal health data. Over 28,000 deaths in 2014 were from both prescription painkillers and heroin. The New York Times states some people who are addicted to prescription painkillers turn to street drugs like heroin and illicit fentanyl or obtain prescription drugs by other means

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