Does writing your Federal Senator/Rep really matter ?

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

If you write (email, letter, fax) to your Senator… each state has two senators and the largest state (CALF) has 39 million people and the smallest (Wyoming) abt 600,000.  So who believes that either one of your Senators reads the correspondence sent to them ? House members represents anywhere from 500,000 to one million  https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_population

How many times have you or read about someone sending correspondence to a member of Congress concerning the “war on pts” and getting back a form letter addressing the opiate crisis ?  I suspect that each member of Congress has a database of what their constituents have contacted their office about.  What if that database keeps track of the “form letters” that have been sent out. So if the staff member that is answering the letters the office receives replies with a form letter on the opiate crisis and the database has another “mark” about a constituent concerned about the opiate crisis and has nothing to do about the war on pts

Years ago, I sent a letter to my Federal Representative expressing my concern – in favor of – about a particular issue… a short time later I got a letter from their office agreeing with my position of my Fed Rep suggesting that he was in agreement of being in favor of the issue… a day or two later I got a second letter from this office … stating that my Fed Rep was in agreement with my position of BEING AGAINST the particular issue that I wrote about.

The lobbyist industry spends 9+ million/day trying to influence the 535 member of Congress.  If anyone has noticed… lobbyists exerts their chance of influencing a member of Congress … by using their powers of persuasion IN PERSON.

People need not waste their time contacting members of Congress that represents people outside of your district or state…  If you have ever listen to politicians, they often will state that they are in Congress to “represent the people in my state”.. whatever state that happens to be.. If you attempt to contact them, your opinion is of no concern to them.. if you live outside of their district or state.

If you want to get the attention of a member of Congress that doesn’t represent you… about a issue that you care about …  make an appt to talk to them in person and bring a CHECK for their re-election campaign.

You don’t have to go to Washington DC to talk to your member of Congress in person. Often, when they are back in their district they will set aside some time to talk to people they represent. Call their district office and see when Congress is in recess and they will be back in the district and if they have set aside days/times to talk to constituents…  Make an appt and you may get 10-15 minutes one to one time with your Congressional Representative.

 

 

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Opioid Prescriptions Down Yet Overdose Deaths Still Rose In West Virginia

Posted on January 24, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Opioid Prescriptions Down Yet Overdose Deaths Still Rose In West Virginia

https://www.thefix.com/opioid-prescriptions-down-yet-overdose-deaths-still-rose-west-virginia

West Virginia sees the highest rates of overdose deaths per capita in the United States.

Close-up shot of a hand holding two white pills. pillpainkillermedicationhandpainkillertakingwhitevitaminholdingbirthoralcontrolpeopleprescriptionselfhospitalheadachemedicinefemaleaddictionantibioticcapsulecarecloseclose-upcloseupcontraceptioncurediseasedrugfluhealthhealthcarehealthyhumanillnessisolatedmedicalmedicatingnarcoticpalmpharmaceuticalpharmacyremedytablettwoupwomanShow more
 

Despite a significant decrease in the amount of prescription painkillers distributed throughout West Virginia, the state is still facing an increasing number of fatal overdoses due to illegal opioids such as heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil, according to a new report.

According to CNBC, West Virginia is the leading state in the U.S. when it comes to overdose deaths per capita. 

The new numbers came to light after the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy’s annual report was published. The report states, “The 884 drug overdose deaths reported in 2016 was a record high for the state, but 2017 numbers are on pace to surpass that total.” According to the report, in 2017, the number of doses of prescribed controlled substances decreased by 31.3 million, or 12%, in comparison to the prior year. 

Specifically, the report states that hydrocodone, sold under names such as Vicodin and Lortab, was still the most commonly prescribed pain medication, but the number of pills prescribed decreased by 8.4 million tablets, while oxycodone decreased by 9.3 million.

The population of West Virginia is 1.8 million, meaning the doses of controlled substances prescribed in the state last year—236 million—amounted to 65 doses for every person. 

Michael Goff, acting executive director of the pharmacy board, told CNBC that the decrease in the number of prescriptions in 2017 has to do with the increase in awareness around the dangers of prescription opioids. “There’s a lot of articles dealing with, doctors and pharmacies are concerned, there’s lawsuits everywhere,” he said. 

According to Goff, the state pharmacy board has sent out hundreds of letters to pharmacies and health providers. The letters are sent when a patient who has been prescribed or dispensed drugs by those places fatally overdoses. 

Goff says the board is also made aware when a person sees eight or more doctors and visits five different pharmacies within a six-month period. Letters are also sent in these cases. 

At the same time the report was released, West Virginia lawmakers have been working to come up with legislation that further controls the quantity of prescriptions painkillers that can be prescribed by doctors. 

A proposed bill, known as Senate Bill 2, would limit doctors to prescribe no more than a seven-day supply for short-term pain management, with the exception of cancer and hospice patients. 

If passed, West Virginia would join the ranks of more than 20 other states that have established limits for the quantity of opioid prescriptions for acute pain.

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Chronic Pain and Suicide

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve
 

Chronic Pain and Suicide

www.nationalpainreport.com/chronic-pain-and-suicide-8835351.html

To not have your suffering recognized is an almost unbearable form of violence. – Andrei  Lankov

As a community I feel we try to give the validation and understanding that many within our community aren’t receiving on the outside. I can’t say how many times I have read a post on a chronic illness board, and read how truly excited people are that for the first time they are understood and not alone. But while we may feel less alone when we venture to these community boards or Spoonie chats, eventually, we have to return to our reality, and for many of us that reality is incredibly lonely along with being incredibly painful.

Liza Zoellick

When I talk about loneliness I do not necessarily mean the state of “being alone.” Many of us have family, kids, spouses and friends who are supportive and many of us have jobs and other hobbies and interests that keep us busy. The loneliness I am speaking of transcends beyond that which we associate with absence of people in our lives. This loneliness is insidious and pervasive because even in a room full of people we can still feel incredibly isolated and alone.  It’s a loneliness born from the isolation we feel as we endure the constant assault of pain on our bodies. This pain is not limited to the physical either, but the violence that takes shape through the neglect we feel, as our suffering goes unrecognized by so many, including those who love us and a medical community that is supposed to care for us. To a certain extent our effort to try and be normal, to buck up like good little soldiers and press on, to smile when we’d rather be crying and to sugar-coat how we are feeling to others when asked, has not done us any favors. It has left the perception among the “non-chronic,” that we aren’t quite as bad as we seem and worse, that we are lazy drug-seekers, looking to milk the system through disability. The indifference that we feel from those outside our chronic community is lethal.

Just for a moment, I want you to imagine with me this: You go from being a vibrant human being with friends and family, a great job and fulfilling hobbies, until one day you wake up sick. At first no one can tell you what is wrong even after test after test. Then, they tell you it’s all in your head and that you should get outside and exercise and you will feel better. Another doctor tells you to see a psychiatrist because he’s given up on finding anything and later on, pain management treats you with flagrant suspicion and red flags your chart as a drug seeker. In the mean time, your spouse (though they may love you) doesn’t know how to help you because they don’t understand what’s happened. You aren’t running a ridiculous fever and covered in lesions so why do you always hurt and why do you always feel so tired because you really do nothing all day? Your friends drop you like last season’s faux fur and if family wasn’t family you are pretty sure they would too. Working is reduced at first before being cut to part time before you can’t at all and you have to fight for disability. Anything else you once did for pure enjoyment is drastically reduced. You find yourself attached to the computer because it is a lifeline to normalcy, where you can talk to other people who understand this new reality. Then, when you are forced to leave those who have become surrogate family and friends, to be thrust back into an apathetic world you realize just how much you have lost and the knowledge of that can be too much to bear.

A few days ago I lost a friend I’d made on a chronic illness board. We’d been chatting back and forth and learned we were in the same city, planned on meeting after the holidays and then the holidays passed and I didn’t hear from her. But holidays are taxing and we all understand there are good days and bad days so I really didn’t think much when we celebrated New Year’s and I hadn’t heard from her. So when I received the message from her husband that she had reached the end of this battle with her illness and took her own life, I was devastated. The devastation coming from the intimate understanding of why she chose to end her life. This does not mean I am suicidal, or that anyone with chronic pain who has considered at some point, ending their own life is suicidal. I think that when you are living with pain that no one can control and you realize one day that it could be like this for 20-30 years, it can be an extremely daunting and terrifying thought. Also, let me say, that I am not condoning the act of suicide, merely saying that as someone who struggles with chronic pain and loneliness, that I can empathize with her thought process.

Her death is a tragedy. It is both a personal tragedy and human tragedy. Her family will have to continue without her, enduring all those life moments with her  but it is still also reflective of something much larger. Her death sheds light on the inadequate efforts taken to both understand and effectively treat chronic illness/pain, that may have prevented this entirely. Perhaps each and every suicide that is driven by interminable pain and loneliness, should be a teachable moment for those within the medical community and also, those making opioid laws, that they might endeavor to do better for those patients suffering. Perhaps, a picture of her face, and one for each of those countless others who have believed that their only option was to end their life should be assembled before lawmakers and hospitals and doctor offices, that they can see the true suffering that stole their life away.

Liza is a 43-year old chronic pain warrior from Houston who has been chronicling er journey through chronic pain and illness for eight months now on her blog: http://lovekarmafood.com. She is a contributor to the National Pain Report.

 

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AG Sessions wants to be a “TIME TRAVELER” and going back to the 70’s ?

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Will Trump administration, law enforcement challenge safe injection site plans?

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/philadelphia/philly-safe-injection-opioids-law-enforcement-trump-sessions-police-20180123.html

A key question remained unanswered Tuesday after Philadelphia’s announcement that it will support the opening of a safe injection site: How will law enforcement react to a policy described by detractors as an acceptance of illegal drug use?

 

Local officials, from the city’s police commissioner and district attorney to the state attorney general, offered varying reactions to the news, from a full-throated endorsement to hesitance about whether the sites could operate legally.

The Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia offered no response at all — although a local spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration said, “This is not a measure that we can support or condone.” Officials and experts said federal agencies would play a powerful role in determining whether the site will be allowed to operate and what consequences the city might face for supporting an idea backed by public health advocates.

 

“We don’t know how the Justice Department would react,” said Leo Beletsky, professor of law and health science at Northeastern University in Boston. “We can only surmise from the current attorney general’s stance on other issues – specifically marijuana – that his take on states’ rights is not the same as the previous administration.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has proven himself to be a staunch advocate for a renewed war against drug use, but the Justice Department under President Trump has yet to take an official position on safe injection sites, even as several cities — including Seattle and San Francisco — have inched toward proposals similar to Philadelphia’s.

The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday, but Patrick Trainor, spokesman for the DEA’s Philadelphia division, said the proposal “has got the attention of a lot of high-ranking people” in Washington. He declined to answer specific questions on how the DEA might react to the opening of such a facility.

 

Last month in Vermont, where state officials are exploring a similar policy, U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan, a Trump appointee, threatened to prosecute those involved with a site and to seize the facility’s assets.

“The proposed government-sanctioned sites would encourage and normalize heroin use, thereby increasing demand for opiates,” she wrote. “It is a crime, not only to use illicit narcotics, but to manage and maintain sites on which such drugs are used and distributed.”

Limousine Service in New York City

When you think of the bustling streets and iconic skyline of New York City, the image of a sleek limousine navigating through the traffic might just pop into your mind. Limousines are not just a mode of transport in the Big Apple; they’re a symbol of luxury, style, and convenience. Whether it’s for a special occasion, corporate event, or simply treating yourself to a lavish ride around the city, legendary limousine services in New York City offer an unparalleled experience. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of limousine service in NYC, exploring everything from the benefits to choosing the right service for your needs.

Exploring New York City in Style

One of the best ways to experience the vibrant energy of NYC is from the comfort of a limousine. Whether it’s sightseeing tours, shopping excursions, or a night out on the town, a limo adds an extra layer of luxury to your adventures.

Safety and Reliability

When it comes to transportation, safety is paramount. Reputable limousine services prioritize the safety and comfort of their passengers, employing trained chauffeurs and maintaining their vehicles to the highest standards.

Cost-Effectiveness of Limousine Service

Contrary to popular belief, hiring a limousine can be a cost-effective option, especially for group travel. When you factor in the convenience, comfort, and time saved, the value becomes apparent.

Customization Options

No two passengers are alike, which is why many limousine services offer customization options. Whether it’s special amenities, decoration for a particular occasion, or specific routes, tailoring your experience is all part of the service.

 

Sessions last month also took steps to roll back Obama-era policies that had let federal law enforcement effectively look the other way as states set their own laws regarding marijuana legalization.

And the Trump administration has punched back against cities that have bucked its policy goals – including Philadelphia, where it sought to revoke federal law enforcement grants in response to the city’s “sanctuary city” policy on illegal immigration.

Brian Abernathy, Philadelphia’s first deputy managing director, said the city would work with potential partners to stem any federal consequences.

“We’re confident and hopeful that the federal government has more important things to do than to not save people’s lives,” Abernathy said.

Local officials said the potential to reduce the skyrocketing number of overdose fatalities was a key factor in getting them to consider the proposal. Studies also suggest that safe injection sites in Vancouver, Sydney, and other cities have helped prevent overdose deaths while having little impact on public safety.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said a conversation last fall with a police leader from Vancouver convinced him the sites could help save lives — even though he still has questions about how Philadelphia police would interact with such a facility and patrol near a site where illegal drug use is sanctioned.

“I went from being adamantly against it to having an open mind,” Ross said Tuesday.

New District Attorney Larry Krasner also pledged that his office would not target the operators or users at a safe injection site. “No, I would not seek prosecution for people suffering from the disease of addiction and trying to deal with that and stay alive long enough to be rehabilitated in a safe way,” Krasner said.

State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, however, said sanctioning a safe injection site “presents significant public safety concerns, and changes in state and federal law would need to occur for these sites to operate legally.”

In a statement Tuesday, Shapiro stopped short of addressing the key question of whether his office’s agents would turn a blind eye to such a center. Other state officials noted that Pennsylvania’s crime code prohibits possessing or injecting controlled illegal substances or possessing drug paraphernalia.

 

The city’s proposal does risk running afoul of two federal laws — a statute barring illegal drug possession and one known as the Crack House Statute, which makes it illegal to “knowingly open or maintain … [or] manage or control any place … for the purpose of unlawfully … using a controlled substance.”

The DEA rarely pursues cases of personal-use drug possession, focusing instead on traffickers and large-level dealers. How the Justice Department might view a safe injection site under the second law is “more of a question of politics or optics” than a legal one, said Corey S. Davis, deputy director of the Network for Public Health Law.

“At any one time there are a million priorities,” he said. “Each agency has discretion on what types of cases they want to pursue.”

Still, a disconnect between federal and local law enforcement can present situations ripe for confusion.

When Vancouver opened a safe injection site in 2003, for example, the Canadian government established a legal exemption allowing people to use illegal substances at the site, according to the head of the police union, Tom Stamatakis.

But Stamatakis said Tuesday that it was still illegal to buy or sell the drugs, and dozens of police officers were deployed to the neighborhood of the safe injection site to help prevent increases in petty or drug-related crimes.

“There are issues there you have to carefully consider,” he said.

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Munster doctor indicted for allegedly over-prescribing painkillers

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Munster doctor indicted for allegedly over-prescribing painkillers

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/crime/ct-ptb-munster-doctor-indictment-st-0123-20180122-story.html

A doctor at a Munster medical practice was indicted for allegedly over-prescribing hydrocodone, according to court documents.

Dr. Jay Joshi, who practiced at Prestige Clinic in Munster, was indicted on four counts of selling, distributing or dispensing hydrocodone, according to court documents unsealed in federal court Monday. The indictments cited four incidents where an unnamed individual reportedly received prescriptions for 60 tablets of hydrocodone during four consecutive monthly visits, according to court documents.

“During the time period alleged in this indictment, Joshi dispensed controlled substances that were not prescribed for a legitimate medical purpose and outside the scope of professional practice,” the indictment said.

Attorney Paul Stracci, who is representing the doctor, said Joshi appeared in federal court Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Stracci said a jury trial is tentatively scheduled for April 2018.

Federal investigators found that since April 2017, Joshi allegedly issued more than 6,000 prescriptions for controlled substances, according to court documents. Documents showed Joshi ranked first in Lake County and ninth in Indiana for the number of prescriptions written for controlled substances, according to the indictment.

The unsealed indictment laid out a series of appointments where “Individual A” allegedly got prescriptions from Joshi.

On July 18, “Individual A” reportedly asked Joshi for Vicodin, according to court documents, and was given a prescription for 60 tablets of hydrocodone after a “cursory medical examination.”

On Aug. 14, “Individual A” again obtained a prescription for 60 tablets of hydrocodone.

One Sept. 13, “Individual A” obtained a prescription for 66 tablets of hydrocodone.

On Nov. 13, “Individual A” obtained a prescription for 60 tablets of hydrocodone.

The indictment also alleged that in May 2017 staff at Prestige Clinic dispensed prescriptions for controlled substances to patients while Joshi was in Greece, according to court documents.

clyons@post-trib.com

Twitter @craigalyons

And just where did Federal Investigators get the number of prescriptions that this doctor wrote..  Was “Individual A” a confidential informant that was “planted” to visit the physician or was it a undercover member of law enforcement?  Isn’t that what they call ENTRAPMENT ?

The whole issue is around “Individual A” getting TWO DOSES of HYDROCODONE A DAY … for FOUR MONTHS IN A ROW ?… and that was determined to be: were not prescribed for a legitimate medical purpose and outside the scope of professional practice

Or did they use this “Individual A”‘s interaction with the prescriber to get a probable cause warrant to go on a fishing expedition thru the surrounding states’ PMP databases? Or had they already went on a “fishing expedition” thru those PMP databases before any real probable cause was known ?

In the middle of the article it switches from the prescriber writing for 60 +/- doses of hydrocodone… doesn’t specify strength, if it was Hydrocodone and APAP or something like Zohydro (long acting Hydrocodone).. then they start talking about 6,000 prescriptions for controlled substances.

All opiates/narcotics are controlled substances… not all controlled substances are opiates/narcotics.

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Indiana Senate: addressing the opiate crisis with a “lockable Rx vial”

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Senate Bill 339

Introduced Senate Bill (S)

https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2018/bills/senate/339

Authored by

Third level navigation links – accordion

  • The portrait of Sen. James Merritt

    Sen. James Merritt

    Author

  • The portrait of Sen. Randall Head

    Sen. Randall Head

    Author

DIGEST

Controlled substance dispensing. Requires a pharmacy and pharmacist to sell or dispense a controlled drug in schedule II (controlled drug) in a lockable vial and bill the controlled drug manufacturer for the cost of the lockable vial. Prohibits billing the patient for the cost of the lockable vial. Provides for immunity from liability for a pharmacy, pharmacy personnel, and pharmacist in certain circumstances.
who believes that this vial is going to be HAMMER PROOF ?  Instead of someone stealing a few doses from someone – hoping that they don’t realize they are gone… they will just STEAL THE ENTIRE BOTTLE..
 

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Does this suggest that we MAY HAVE a serious mental health problem in our country ?

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

www.winknews.com/2018/01/21/retailers-lock-forbidden-fruit-response-tide-pods-meme-health-risks/

Retailers lock up ‘forbidden fruit’ in response to Tide Pods meme, health risks

A new and dangerous trend on social media not only raised concerns of doctors but has caused retailers to take precautionary measures.

The laundry pod challenge or “Tide pod” meme has been sweeping the web since late 2017, showing teens consuming laundry pods.

Some of the memes include putting the laundry pods on pizza, entire recipes, and shows teens popping them and consuming the liquid inside, or the entire pod itself.

The viral spread of the challenge forced the American Association of Poison Control Centers to issue a national alert.

Several retailers including Walmart, Walgreens, Ralph’s and Food 4 Less have locked up Tide Pods in plastic blocks or behind glass doors, according to recent social media posts. The protective measure was noticed after the meme hit peak stupidity.

Some stores like Walmart and Kroger noted that a spike in thefts of the “forbidden fruit” has forced them to lock up the Tide Pods.

Tide issued a running PSA on social media featuring Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski sternly wagging his finger when asked if Tide Pods are OK to eat.

At least 10 deaths have been linked to detergent pods, according to CBS. Procter & Gamble, the makers of Tide, has warned against eating the pods since the government agency sounded the alarm. “They should not be played with,” the Tide manufacturer said in a statement to CBS. “Even if meant as a joke. Safety is no laughing matter.”

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where the political money comes from and who it goes to ?

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Image result for logo open secrets

https://www.opensecrets.org/

 

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Spring Grove IL: “finest” can’t distinguish pistachio shells from MARIJUANA ?

Posted on January 21, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

Spring Grove police mistake pistachio shells for marijuana, find pills in woman’s pocket

A pile of crushed pistachio shells mistaken for marijuana led to felony drug charges for a 59-year-old Round Lake Beach woman, who also happened to have a bottle of prescription pills in her pocket, her attorney said.

Nancy Pahlman, of the 1400 block of Lotus Drive, was released from the McHenry County Jail on Wednesday. Judge Jeffrey Hirsch said Pahlman could leave the jail without posting a cash bond on the conditions that she would show up to court dates and not abuse drugs.

She is charged with possession of a controlled substance, which typically is punishable by one to three years in prison.

Spring Grove police stopped Pahlman for speeding on Jan. 5, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court. When an officer mistook the pile of de-shelled pistachios in her passenger seat for marijuana, the officer asked her to step out of the car, said her attorney, Philip Prossnitz.

A search of Pahlman’s car yielded no marijuana, but police found a bottle of the narcotic pain medication tramodol in her coat pocket, according to a motion her attorney filed.

Prossnitz said he now is trying to prove that police did not have a strong enough reason to search Pahlman’s vehicle.

The prescription for the pills was in a family member’s name, although Pahlman does have her own prescription for the medication to help treat chronic pain from fibromyalgia, Prossnitz said.

A year earlier, when Pahlman said she was driving a family member to cancer treatment, the pills fell out of the relative’s bag, and Pahlman put them in her coat pocket for safe keeping, Prossnitz said.

The family member died shortly after, and the pills were forgotten until she brought out her winter coat again, Prossnitz said.

Representatives from the Spring Grove Police Department and McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office were not available Friday to comment on the charges or details surrounding Pahlman’s arrest.

Her next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 1.

At a future court date, Prossnitz plans to enter a bag of pistachios into evidence, he said.

“I think we are a motion to suppress and a bag of pistachio nuts away from resolving this matter,” he said.

 

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WINNING BUREAUCRATIC FORMULA: legal ctrl Rxs down… OD’s from ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES UP ?

Posted on January 20, 2018 by Pharmaciststeve

WV pharmacies dispensed 31M fewer painkillers and other powerful drugs last year

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/health/wv-pharmacies-dispensed-m-fewer-painkillers-and-other-powerful-drugs/article_c8756a55-8cac-5618-9f86-2e0e990d0e72.html

The number of potentially addictive prescription drugs dispensed by West Virginia pharmacies dropped by 31 million in 2017, the sharpest decline in a single year since the state started tracking such powerful medications.

Controlled substances – which include prescription painkillers, anti-anxiety medications and amphetamines – declined by 12 percent between 2016 and last year, according to the state Board of Pharmacy’s annual report.

Hydrocodone — sold under brand names like Vicodin and Lortab — remained the most-prescribed pain medication, but the number of pills dispensed dropped by 8.4 million tablets. Oxycodone numbers decreased by 9.3 million.

 The state Board of Pharmacy’s Controlled Substances Monitoring Database has been tracking the highly regulated drugs since 2011.

Media reports, investigations and a barrage of lawsuits against drug companies, pharmacies and doctors have raised awareness about prescription narcotics and overdose deaths, said Mike Goff, acting executive director of the West Virginia pharmacy board.

“There’s been more scrutiny by everyone,” Goff said.

Goff’s agency also has been notifying doctors and pharmacists about overdose deaths.

“So if one of these drugs is listed as the cause of death, now we’re sending letters out to the doctors who wrote the prescriptions and to the pharmacies who filled the prescriptions, just letting them know the patient died,” Goff said.

The pharmacy board also alerts medical licensing boards about possible over-prescribing, if a medical professional is linked to a large number of overdose deaths.

“There’s been more utilization of information from the practitioners,” Goff said. “If we see some unusual activities by doctors and pharmacies, where they’re filling a bunch of odd things or writing a bunch of prescriptions, we have the ability to notify the licensing boards,” Goff said. “We’re using the data more.”

The numbers of just two controlled drugs – amphetamines and buprenorphine – increased between 2016 and last year. Buprenorphine, a drug used to treat people addicted to heroin and prescription opioids, jumped by 1 million doses.

Overall, however, controlled substances declined from 267.2 million to 235.9 million doses.

 The release of the pharmacy board’s report comes as state lawmakers grapple with legislation that aims to further curb the number of painkillers doctors can prescribe.

The bill (SB 2) would limit initial prescriptions to a seven-day supply for short-term pain.

The proposed pain-pill prescription limit would not apply to cancer and hospice patients.

If the bill passes, West Virginia would join about two-dozen states that have set limits on opioid prescriptions for acute pain, such as caused by a tooth extraction or ankle sprain.

In 2016, 884 people fatally overdosed on drugs in West Virginia. That was the highest drug overdose death rate of any state.

Heroin- and fentanyl-related overdose deaths were most common, but recent data has shown that many of those who overdosed had a prescription for an opioid painkiller within the previous year.

Illegal methamphetamine- and cocaine-related overdose deaths also have increased significantly over the past year. A final count of 2017 fatal overdoses isn’t expected until May.

Reach Eric Eyre at ericeyre@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4869 or follow @ericeyre on Twitter.

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