Though there is no hard evidence of the effectiveness of the laws yet, some professionals see the numbers as heading in the right direction.
As the opioid epidemic has continued to claim lives, more than two dozen states have put laws in place in the hope of limiting the damage.
Of those two dozen, the most recent states to take action are Florida, Michigan and Tennessee, according to Harvard Health Publishing. The new rules put in place set limits for the amount of opioids medical professionals can prescribe for pain relief from surgery, injury or illness.
Opioid laws vary from state to state, according to Harvard Health. While most states limit first-time opioid prescriptions to seven days, some states, such as Florida, Kentucky and Minnesota, have shortened it to three days unless a medical professional can give reason for a week-long supply.
“For almost all acute pain problems, including after surgery, a week is usually sufficient,” Dr. Edgar Ross, senior clinician at the Pain Management Center at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told Harvard Health.
Additionally, some states have put procedures in place that require doctors to take more steps when prescribing. In Florida, both physicians and pharmacists are required to take courses about prescribing practices. They must also search a drug database to make sure doctors aren’t doubling up on prescriptions for patients.
Massachusetts has a similar procedure in place, but some medical professionals say it’s not as simple as it sounds.
“We have the ability to check the registry to see who else has prescribed it, but it’s not integrated with electronic records,” Dr. Dennis Orgill, a surgeon at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, told Harvard Health. “If you have someone who needs opioids over the weekend, you can imagine the logistics of that.”
Another new law, this one in Ohio, allows doctors to override and refill acute pain prescriptions, but only after a patient has gone through the first prescription.
According to Harvard Health, patients will typically have to return to the doctor to get a prescription rather than getting a refill on the phone. If for some reason a refill is made over the phone, Harvard Health states patients will end up visiting the pharmacy more often and making more copays as a result.
If doctors do not follow the new laws, they may face consequences. As a result, Harvard Health states some patients that need prescriptions for chronic pain are not getting them.
“Many doctors now refuse to prescribe any opioids because of the fear of sanctions,” Ross told Harvard Health. “I have had several cancer patients whose pain was not well managed because of incorrect perceptions.”
Although there is no hard evidence of the effectiveness of the laws yet, some professionals see the numbers as heading in the right direction.
“Massachusetts’ opioid legislation was signed into law in March of 2016. The overdose death rate then decreased by 8.3% in 2017, the first decrease since the beginning of the opioid epidemic,” Dr. Karsten Kueppenbender, an addiction psychiatrist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, told Harvard Health. “While it’s impossible to say the law caused the decrease, it’s certainly a welcome association.”
