Finding the Balance Between Preventing Opioid Addiction and Legitimate Use for Pain

A major element adding to the tragedy of opioid abuse is the overprescribing of these substances to the general public. In 2012 alone, over 250 million opioid prescriptions were issued by healthcare professionals. Those numbers are staggering – equivalent to about one bottle of pills for every adult in America.

As we take in the overwhelming numbers of opioid prescriptions, it is also a fact that millions of Americans suffer from acute and often debilitating pain. According to the Institutes of Medicine (IOM), at least 116 million adults in the U.S. live with chronic pain.

Many depend on these powerful prescriptions to give them the ability to access relief and function in there every day responsibilities. However, the power of these opioids to mitigate pain has come with great cost to our society. According to the CDC, in 2014, close to two million Americans, 12 years of age or older were either dependent on or abused prescription opioids.

Debate over opioid prescriptions in South Carolina

South Carolina is in the midst of a debate over the number of prescription pills a physician should be able to prescribe immediately after surgery. The debate is occurring at the same time lawmakers and state government leaders are endeavoring to fight a tragic opioid epidemic that took the lives of 616 people in South Carolina in 2016.

In the Statehouse, lawmakers are focusing on some of the most powerful prescription opioids that headline the problem of opioid addiction, including names like Vicodin, Percocet, and OxyContin.

The efforts of lawmakers in the state to restrict the overprescribing of pain pills was put on hold Feb. 7 when members of the South Carolina Orthopedic Association asked them to reevaluate an element of a proposed bill that places a five-day limit on the prescription of highly addictive drugs. The bill proposed by lawmakers limits these prescriptions to five days following surgery. It is a single feature of a larger legislative proposal put forth by a state House Committee that researched the tragic opioid epidemic during the past year.

The concern expressed by the past President of the Association, James O’Leary, to the lawmakers was that a five-day restriction on first-time prescriptions post-surgery would impose unnecessary pain and hassle on patients.

Although O’Leary understood the reasoning behind the lawmakers’ proposal, he told them that for individuals who receive knee surgeries and other procedures, five days is simply not enough. He explained that many patients endure severe pain for a week or longer and that few stop taking these medications prior to seven days after surgery. He also suggested that orthopedic surgeons such as himself be exempted from the five-day limit to provide more needed flexibility. He claimed that the majority of doctors are currently doing everything they can to avoid overprescribing these drugs.

The bill makes an exemption for palliative, hospice, and cancer patients. It permits those taking medication assisted treatment for addiction as well as those dealing with chronic pain to obtain the prescriptions authorized by a professional.

Obviously, considering the devastation the epidemic has inflicted upon the lives of Americans, some type of balance must be struck between the need to lessen patients’ pain and avoid the rampant over-prescription of opioids leading to abuse.

If you or a loved one has suffered injuries due to over-prescription or mis-prescription of opioid pain medication or another type of dangerous drug, you need an attorney who is able to build a strong legal case on your behalf. At McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC, we work for you, not the medical providers or insurance companies. Our job and responsibility at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC is to secure the justice and compensation you deserve. To schedule a free, initial consultation about your case, complete our contact form or call us today at 803-327-7800.