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Hydrocodone Prescribing and Quotas

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For many years, hydrocodone was the most prescribed drug in the United States—overall, not just among controlled substances—and available only in immediate-release form, mostly in combination with acetaminophen. These combination drugs, which were the vast majority of what was offered, were Schedule 3 opioids. However, in its pure form, hydrocodone was always a Schedule 2 substance.

Hydrocodone also was arguably the most abused pharmaceutical, partly because it was prescribed in such large numbers. As a controlled substance, therefore, it’s not surprising that a portion of the prescriptions was abused. In October 2014, hydrocodone combination products were rescheduled as Schedule 2, making refills impossible and requiring a trip to the prescriber for a new prescription. The reason for the rescheduling is hard to argue against: because of its abuse history and potential, hydrocodone should have been moved to the most restrictive class long ago. [Read more…]

Drug thefts turn up big in state report on abuse and neglect of vulnerable Minnesotans

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Drug theft by health care workers has become so common that it accounts for nearly one-fifth of all abuse cases affecting elderly Minnesotans, the state Department of Health reported Monday.

In a sign of growing concern over the abuse of prescription drugs, state officials began a separate count of “drug diversion” incidents for the first time in their latest report on neglect and exploitation of vulnerable Minnesotans.

State investigators examined 192 allegations of drug theft during the 12 months ending in June 2014; they substantiated 27 cases perpetrated by 14 health care workers. [Read more…]

Why Not Legalize All Drugs?

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We are undoubtedly in the midst of one of the most devastating drug abuse eras the United States has ever seen. Heroin by itself or, more likely, laced with fentanyl or carfentanil, along with pharmaceutical opioids, is causing thousands of overdoses across our country each year. Nasal naloxone has saved an incredible number of these overdose victims.

When drug problems intensify, the cry goes out that we have lost the war on drugs and our best way out to stop all of the death and destruction is to legalize drugs and let the government reap the profits in the form of taxes. It sounds simple: legalize all drugs, the prices will drop, the associated killing and violence will go away, and we will all live happily ever after. We can use the increase in tax revenues to build highways and roads or to fund other important projects. [Read more…]

Doctors and the Rx Scandal Circa 1966

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This past August, I was walking through the commercial building of the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, and a copy of an old Life magazine caught my eye. It showed multicolored pharmaceuticals all over the cover, with the silhouette of someone drinking from a glass in the background. The headline read, “Doctors and the Rx Scandal,” followed by “How some MDs short-cut ethics and profit from their own prescriptions.” The most surprising part to me was that the issue was dated June 24, 1966—50 years ago, and a year before I graduated from high school!

The article begins by saying that more than 10,500 doctors “are employing doubtfully ethical means of making extra money out of the prescriptions they write for their patients.” It goes on to say that the estimate of more than 10,500 doctors is very conservative and that the problem is growing among the 225,000 physicians nationwide. [Read more…]

Hope for the Future of Opiate Addiction

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The news on opiate addiction is usually bleak at best. Hundreds of articles, including some of mine, discuss addiction and overdose death with no apparent “light at the end of the tunnel.” My current employer, Brown County Ohio, leads Ohio’s list of top counties per capita for unintentional overdose drug deaths! It’s hard to accept that this is the situation in a sparsely populated rural county in southern Ohio, but it’s a snapshot of the problem in Ohio and well beyond.

About 2 years ago, I was at a conference where I learned about a new drug called Vivitrol. It seemed promising that a once-monthly injection could render an addicted individual unable to achieve a high. Along with counseling and an addict’s willingness to receive a monthly injection for many months, Vivitrol could result in lasting sobriety. It sounded too good to be true. The only hurdles were that addicts must be willing to participate and must not use their drug for several days before administration of Vivitrol. In addition, the cost of the drug is $600 to $800 per injection. The Warren County Ohio jail has an ongoing project involving this drug, and the results have been sensational. [Read more…]

How BIG is the problem?

Year after year, state and local law enforcement statistics indicate that pharmaceuticals are almost 30% of the overall drug problem in the United States, running a close second only marijuana abuse. However, until recently, law enforcement, health care professionals, and the general public have placed little emphasis on this huge problem.

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Pharmaceutical Diversion Education (PDE) is designed to assist a wide range of the population in understanding the potential abuse and addiction that can be associated with prescription medication.

Drug Diversion:
Any Criminal Act Involving a Prescription Drug.

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