TIME article: Why is the DEA Hounding This Doctor?

[PharmacyStud]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1083911,00.html

Thought this was a good read and wanted to share. It is an article about the prescribing of pain killers and the DEA's attempt to crack down on aggresive prescribing of pain killers.

 

[Oneday_9]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1083911,00.html

Thought this was a good read and wanted to share. It is an article about the prescribing of pain killers and the DEA's attempt to crack down on aggresive prescribing of pain killers.

about time!

 

[SomeGuy]

The link doesn't work properly if you click on it (in Firefox anyway, which you should be using). He has one too many "http://"'s.

Click HERE instead.

As a comment on the article, the DEA has a budget that gives them enough manpower to investigate X number of physicians per year. They're going to investigate X number of physicians, whether they need to or not every year. Welcome to the DEA's version of job security. And if convictions go down, they're going to see a decline in their budget, can't let that happen. Heaven forbid they ever give the impression that the drug problem is improving.

Over the past six years, more than 5,600 physicians from Alaska to West Virginia have been investigated on suspicion of "drug diversion."

More than 600,000 doctors are registered to prescribe controlled substances. There are a very small number of bad apples."

As for the DEA's other investigations and prosecutions, "We're not on a witch hunt," Tandy told TIME.

Not by my statistics 🙄

 

[AngryRPh]

about time!

I see that you just started pharmacy school, and I understand your thoughts. Just remember that not all docs who write for high doses or quantities of narcs are running prescription mills.

/AngryRPH climbs on his soapbox to begin his incoherent ramblings

As I have a close family member who lives in constant pain, I know firsthand the importance of treating pain. The key here is that this person takes meds so that he can work after (he is in his late fifties). This is positive and productive use of pain management.

Anyone who has practiced in retail for any length of time has seen those docs who prescribe the same "cocktail" to all of their PT"s regardless of age/gender/weight:
-Vicodin ES 1 QID
-Soma 350mg 1 TID
-Xanax 1(or 2) mg TID

These guys are suspect and sholud be scrutinized. At different times, I have been in pharmacies where we would refuse to fill any narcs or benzos from certain docs because of this...and the PT's were suspect as well...(no insurance, no ID, etc...). I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I believe that the following things should be law:
1. Chronic pain management docs must do a fellowship.
2. Terminal CA PT's should get as much pain relief as they want.
3. PT's should have to sign written contracts agreeing not to seek pain meds from other docs and to receive some type of emotional or physical therapy as a part of their TX.
4. Pharmacists should be provided with the contracts upon request.
5. MD's and RPh's should be protected from civil and criminal suits if there is no definitive proof that PT was doctor or pharmacy hopping.

As a final not to the new grads and students, remember that it is ALWAYS your license that you must protect. Don't let a doc or PT manipulate or bully you into filling something that you don't feel is appropriate for the safety of the PT. Remember, the Boards of Pharmacy are not in existence to help you the pharmacist...They exist to protect the public (from themselves quite often). On that note, I will tell you that I NEVER fill Oxycontin RX's that have any sig other than BID.

/AngryRPh stumbles of his soapbox, dazed from his pointless and esoteric ramblings.

 

[bananaface]

I wish Oxycontin would be placed on a restricted prescribing system (stickers, trained prescribers only, required periodic urine testing for non cancer patients). Abuse is rampant in my area.

 

[AngryRPh]

I wish Oxycontin would be placed on a restricted prescribing system (stickers, trained prescribers only, required periodic urine testing for non cancer patients). Abuse is rampant in my area.

That's a pretty good idea.

 

[ZpackSux]

Hydrocodone and Oxycodone..and other opiate addictions are no joke.

This, I'm not sure how we can control.

Gotta love companies making Norco like drugs..high dose of Hydrocodone with very little Tylenol. I guess their intentions are good..they are truly concerned about patients getting tylenol toxicity. Or Are thy. 👎

 

[bananaface]

Eh, just last week I had to contact a physician when I noticed that one of his patients had been getting #100 Hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5/500 (spelled it out in case you are reading this at work, Z :þ) every 6 days. We got her placed on a reduced dose of acetaminophen. Before that she was at 8.3g per day. It doesn't take long to blow a liver at that rate. So, I am glad they make the drugs with a lower dose of acetaminophen. In my area, at least, we don't typically see those low acetaminophen drugs prescribed initially, just after the patient has been on Vicodin for awhile.

 

[ZpackSux]

Eh, just last week I had to contact a physician when I noticed that one of his patients had been getting #100 Hydrocodone/acetaminophen 5/500 (spelled it out in case you are reading this at work, Z :þ) every 6 days. We got her placed on a reduced dose of acetaminophen. Before that she was at 8.3g per day. It doesn't take long to blow a liver at that rate. So, I am glad they make the drugs with a lower dose of acetaminophen. In my area, at least, we don't typically see those low acetaminophen drugs prescribed initially, just after the patient has been on Vicodin for awhile.

I aint working today. 👍

 

[GravyRPH]

I aint working today. 👍

And how about the whole Palladone + Alcohol = death.
That gives a whole new meaning to the Don't Take With Alcohol stickers.

 

[npage148]

And how about the whole Palladone + Alcohol = death.
That gives a whole new meaning to the Don't Take With Alcohol stickers.

Last Thursday, the palladone rep came by my retail and did the whole "expect to see this casuse i just stopped at all the local pain docs" talk and how this is the greatest thing since hard geletin capsules were invented. He gave us some craptastic pens, some nice big notepads and the package insert and went on his way. Later that night, i read the package insert and noticed the part about ETOH and dose dumping and showed the pharmacist the sentence. I predicted that it would be pulled rather fast. I show up at work sunday to find the recall. I swear i have ESP sometimes. Seriosuly though, that would hurt countless people a year. Its one thing for a synergistic effect of 2 cns depressents, its another to have it the etoh dump 16mg of hydromorphone. Im still waiting for some scripts written for it.