While pharmacists have the right to refuse to fill a prescription, a fear of being reprimanded or fired may be leading them to do it anyway, according to a student at Rosalind Franklin University’s College of Pharmacy.
The third-year pharmacy student was responding to a question posed by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin Wednesday afternoon at the North Chicago school following some remarks by Durbin and U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Deerfield) about the opioid crisis.
“We’re in the midst of the worst drug epidemic in American history,” Durbin said. “Our opioid crisis, I have witnessed in every corner of our state. There’s no suburb too wealthy or town too small. It’s hit everywhere.”
Schneider told of his experience of receiving 120 Vicodin pills after complaining of pain from a kidney stone.
“Help me understand why I needed that kind of prescription,” he said. “As we talk to doctors, what I’m being told is they don’t they get the education in med school, they’re not getting the education in their residency and so we just need to make sure we’re providing the information as we learn more about addiction.”
Durbin asked the group of students and faculty, some practicing pharmacists, how a pharmacist would be trained to address a situation like that.
One pharmacist said they have the professional right to deny a prescription. She added she would advise her students to talk to the patient to better gauge the situation or call the doctor for more information.
“I wonder how often that happens, that a pharmacist says no,” Durbin said.
“Every day,” came one response.
Part of the problem is that pharmacists are evaluated on the number of prescriptions they fill, the third-year student said. Complaints from patients could also lead to reprimands.
“It’s really the struggle between obviously we know that we shouldn’t be filling this, but I need a job at the same time,” she said.
Some retailers are making changes to switch that incentive by not including opioid prescriptions in their quotas, another third-year student told Durbin.
It’s something all companies should start doing, he said.
“We have to get everybody on board,” Durbin said. “You can’t just look the other way at any level. Whether it’s the pharmaceutical companies, the distribution companies, the dispensers, the prescribers and the pharmacists.”
Durbin said he’s been working to get the Drug Enforcement Administration to lower the cap on the amount of opioids pharmaceutical companies are allowed to produce each year for domestic consumption.
Two years ago, the last reported period, the DEA approved the production of 14 billion pills, enough for every adult in the U.S. to have a three-week prescription, he said.
Durbin said he’s also introduced a bill that would allow the DEA to consider the risk of abuse and overdose when establishing the quotas.
More awareness training has to be done for various medical professionals to ensure they’re aware of the latest guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said, crediting professional associations that have made continuing education a requirement.
Another bill introduced by Durbin back in 2016 that he’s still pushing would require drug company representatives who promote opioids to be licensed and to undergo training.
He’s also suggested a tax on opioid medications that would fund take-back programs like the one in Lake County that allows people to turn in medications with no questions asked.
Schneider said he has also introduced legislation that would require three-hours of continuing education for doctors who prescribe opioids.
“There’s a lot for us to do,” Durbin said.
Twitter @mekcoleman
“One pharmacist said they have the professional right to deny a prescription. She added she would advise her students to talk to the patient to better gauge the situation or call the doctor for more information.”
I find this statement very interesting… yes.. a pharmacist has the right to refuse to fill a prescription, but normally that involves a drug interaction with the pt’s existing medications and new medication, a allergy to a medication, dose is too high or TOO LOW or some other valid reason/fact that the new medication will harm the pt.
Apparently this woman is an instructor at the pharmacy school ( Rosalind Franklin University’s School of Pharmacy School ) where this Congressional meeting took place and I don’t know if it was intentional or unintentional.. but this instructor’s name was not mentioned in the article… Afraid to stand up for her beliefs ? I just wonder how much her instructions to future pharmacists in her classes is more about “just saying no” to all pts with opiates and/or controlled substances.
Filed under: General Problems
I wrote the reporter on this and filled their ear with facts. I hope others do to. We have to start writing everyone of them. Make them report what’s really going on.
That senator would have suffered like HELL with out those Vicodin. Plus? We all know that his status as a Senator had a lot to do with the number of pills.
These elected officials are such idiots.
I am speechless! Dick Durbin and Senators like him fill me with a blind rage because of their ruthlessness and stupidity! I hear a lot of people say Democrats have a mental disorder because you can’t reason with them, they are like vicious attack dogs! Unfortunately, it has spread to both parties!
Now, the nanny government is trying to (and succeeding) train the next generation of pharmacists and physicians that opioids are the most evil drugs in the world, with no redeeming qualities and useless/ineffective in treating pain, totally addictive to ANYONE who takes them, etc., etc. The lies keep getting bigger and repeated over and over (which they learned from Hitler who said if you tell them often enough they will be believer).
I know Steve you say “vote the bums out,” but who do we vote in? No politician will side with the pain community over the addicts. And if your thought is that it will send a message, these politicians won’t associate their being voted out for that reason. They will blame it on something else like they always do. I wish it wasn’t the case.
My Dr. seems to think that this is a trend and that it will pass and something else will replace it, but I disagree and am not holding my breath. Once policies and laws are put in place, it takes an act of God to change them!
abt 98% of those in Congress will get reelected – regardless of what they have done – or not done – during their term.. Congress runs on a seniority basis.. Committee chairmanship and committee appts… office assigned to the member… all 435 members of the House are up for re-election every 2 yrs.. “clean the slate” will throw the House in turmoil.. no one will have any seniority. One party or the other will be in the majority.. everyone will be “freshman – first term” member of the House… Since 98% expected to be re-elected… all of these new members will be looking over their shoulder… asking “what happened ??” Could it happen again in two yrs ?
Hopefully will have got their attention and maybe they will be more readily available to listen to concerns of their constituents.
Right now it has been announced that 40 members of Congress are RETIRING… about 7%… THREE TIMES NORMAL – what is going on.. what are they concerned about coming down the pike ?
The Senate would be harder to disrupt since only 33 – 34 are up for reelection every 2 yrs.. but again they expect 98% to get reelected… tossing 33 -34 Senators out… would most likely get the attention of the entire Senate.
What I have read here, is everything having to do with the drug industry side of the stated “opioid crsis” and nothing about people with continuous life un manageageable pain issues. TOO many chiefs……forget the “indians” have NO doubt that if anyone….including Jeff Sessions needed pain management and ONLY opioid medications would help, he would use them in an effective dosage.