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House Approves Prescription Limits In Opioid Fight
March 2, 2018
While the sponsor acknowledged the bill won’t solve the state’s problem with opioid abuse, the House on Thursday unanimously passed a measure that includes imposing prescription limits.
“I don’t think it (the problem) is going to completely go away, but I think this is a way for us to fight back,” Rep. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, said Thursday as he finished presenting his bill (HB 21) to the House.
The bill, in part, would limit opioid prescriptions to three-day supplies, though seven-day supplies would be allowed if deemed medically necessary by physicians. The restrictions wouldn’t apply to patients suffering pain related to cancer, terminal illness, palliative care or serious traumatic injuries.
The goal is to help prevent people from getting hooked on prescription opioids, which can lead to turning to street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
Physician groups have had concerns with the bill and the prescription limits.
Rep Julio Gonzalez, a Venice Republican who is an orthopedic surgeon, warned Thursday that the limitations would be too restrictive for some patients and that 10 days may be more appropriate for people who have had major surgery or who have suffered major trauma.
But Boyd told the stories of two people he knows who underwent surgery. One person had complete knee reconstruction and walked out of the facility with a walker hours later. He had a follow-up four days later, Boyd said.
Another friend of Boyd was treated for a heart-valve replacement and an aneurysm repair. Boyd said his friend took Tylenol for three days in the interim between being released and a follow-up visit.
In both instances, Boyd said, the men were given 90-day prescriptions for opioids to relieve the pain.
“We are not trying to be doctors,” Boyd said, addressing Gonzalez’s criticism. “We are not trying to tell doctors how to do what they do, because they are the professionals. But I think there’s a little bit of work that needs to be done communicating, that with this horrible problem, we need to take dramatic steps to try to fix it.”
Opioid addiction and overdoses are now the leading accidental cause of death in the U.S. According to research, 80 percent of heroin users first abused prescription drugs, whether their own drugs or someone else’s supply. Other studies show that a patient’s chances of addiction increase as the number of days a first prescription for opioids lengthens.
The data has spurred state lawmakers to focus not only on treating drug users but on trying to keep patients from getting hooked in the first place.
To ensure that patients aren’t “doctor shopping,” or seeking prescriptions for addictive drugs from multiple physicians, the bill also would require physicians to consult a statewide database before prescribing or dispensing controlled substances, something many physicians have been loath to do. Only about 27 percent of Florida health care providers authorized to prescribe controlled substances currently use the database, known as the prescription drug monitoring program.
The bill includes accommodations if the database is down or if there are electrical or technical issues. But in such instances, physicians would be required to document information in patient medical records and would be limited to prescribing three-day supplies or less of pain relievers.
The bill also would authorize the Department of Health to share and exchange database information with other states and would authorize the database to interface with electronic health systems used by health-care practitioners and facilities.
Lawmakers have directed about $1 million for improvements to the prescription drug monitoring program, but Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, worried that the funding may not be enough to ensure that the database properly interfaces with electronic health systems used by physicians.
Harrell, who is married to a physician, said she shared Gonzalez’s concerns that the restrictions may go too far.
“I think the 10 days seems much more reasonable,” she said.
A Senate version of the bill (SB 
is ready to be heard by the full Senate.
But the House and Senate bills have differences. Among other things, the Senate bill would not allow exclusions from the prescription restrictions for cancer patients, trauma patients and the terminally ill.
Boyd, who will leave the House this fall because of term limits, said the bill would help in the fight against opioid abuse but said he knows it won’t fix the problem.
“I’ll be gone next year but I hope that others of you will take up the fight and take the next steps to fight this problem, because I don’t think it’s going to completely go away,” he said.
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
12 Responses to “House Approves Prescription Limits In Opioid Fight”
Hi I had a dr for 15 years, and I have a script for Xanax for 15 years also, my dr then after all these years my drug test was positive for Xanax.I said to my Dr what?why now? And I left this dr kohl from Sterling Heights mi after he told me I had to stop taking Xanax or no more pain meds, MY SCRIPT HAD TO BE FROM A PHYSICIST
NOT MY FAMILY DR….ridiculous this Dr kohl didn’t care about his patients.only cared about money$$$$$ It makes me sick to my stomach,I have severe pain,like the other comments.
It not right…
Once again those of us who take our medications correctly and visit our doctor on a timely basis are paying for the actions of those who won’t. I am in pain every day of my life and if I didn’t have my pain medications there are days that I couldn’t get out of bed. My pain management doctor is a wonderful doctor who follows the law to the letter and I thank God every day for him. Why can’t these do-gooder politicians come up with a better plan to catch and prosecute the ones who are causing us all grief. I beg you to please listen to those of us who truly need our medications!
If doctors, pharmacies, and insurance providers would follow the safeguards already in place, there would be no need to regulate prescriptions for responsible patients. My stepmother has been addicted to opioids for over 25 years. She has almost killed herself twice by accidental overdose. She went to rehab the second time but was allowed to check herself out before completing the program. I tried to intervene by directly calling the 4 different doctors who were prescribing the drugs (all at the same time), the 4 different pharmacies who were filling them, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield who was paying for them. I was told it was none of my business. They did nothing. This is the real problem. I’m not excusing her. She’s an addict by her own choice. But if she couldn’t get the drugs by prescription, I doubt she would have the means to get them on the street. Also, having a prescription, validates the drug abuse (in her mind).
This idea is really bad for people who live with chronic pain and are managing their pain. Adding to their suffering by complicating their lives is really unfair and pretty much abusive.
If you want to avoid having doctors prescribe narcotics then get the cost down for the non-narcotic pain medications.
I’ve been a pharmacy tech for years. If this is such a concern then monitor these pill mill drs more closely. There are so many drs today that get paid $2500 a year per patient (no insurance involved) and are at the patients beck and call 24/7. Just call and the Dr will leave an rx at the front desk or mail it to the patient. There is no physician/patient relationship because they may not even be seen in years. Unless its post surgery or medically proven pain then stop the Drs from addicting their patients
To think you can legislate addiction is asinine. Patients are already often looked at skeptically by the physicians at the mere mention of severe/chronic pain. Doctor’s are afraid to practice, patients are worried their reputations are soiled if they need pain medicines and these clowns use it to get their name on a piece of legislation with zero regard for a person’s individual needs.
This reasoning doesn’t make sense. Most addicts don’t buy their drugs from the drug store anyway. A ten day supply at minimum seems reasonable. After a major surgery just getting in and out of the car and going to the doctor is painful. Three day supply is ridiculous. More micro managing by politicians and job security. We passed x number of bills…wow, but did they really do any good?
A person who is addicted to these pain meds will just find something else to feed their addictions. The people that need and do not abuse the meds will suffer. How cruel would that be? I certainly hope that some of these idiots that are “not trying to be doctors” need to control their own pain gets paid back dearly for this stupid idea!
A three day limit is absolutely ridiculous! Boyd has his two friends examples but everyone is different with their pain level tolerance. Some can take a Benadryl and it immediately puts them to sleep, I take two at a time and don’t even get drowsy. Once again the people following the doctors orders, or following the law are penalized for those who will always abuse.
This looks good on paper but, isn’t worth a flip in reality. People that are addicted may not be able to afford help, or desire help. If this is the situation, they will resort to street drugs. Also, people that need pain meds, but don’t abuse, will be penalized. Another case of the many being punished for the actions of the few.
I can not see how this will help with the heroine use or the opioid overdoses. If you are the type person to become addicted to any substance you will find something to feed that addiction.
Stupid. It’s like reasoning the prohibition of firearms to stop people from being violent. All that would accomplish is to stop violent people from using firearms. Likewise, an addict is going to be an addict. I like what Boyd said though. “We’re not trying to be doctors” but………What a moron. How many doctors are really prescribing hard core opiates after a random surgery, that’s the stats I want. And Boyd, I’m not talking Loritabs either. I just don’t see doctors prescribing Morphine, Oxycontin, or Dilaudid for some random surgery. Well, a moron is gonna be a moron. Not gonna try to be your teacher Boyd.