Possible Limits of Prescription Painkillers in California

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 05, 2018 -- The Recover a national drug news provider released a new story about Pomona Assemblyman Freddie Rodriguez (D) proposed legislation that would drastically affect those looking for painkillers from their doctor. While California is far from being the worst off state in the nation, with the nationwide epidemic the golden state has not been unfazed by the alarming rise in opioid abuse.

Possible Limits of Prescription Painkillers in California

According to Rodriguez proposed legislation, prescriptions for painkillers would be limited to a three day supply maximum. If the dosage remains the same by the third refill, another bill enacted in 1998 would then come into play, requiring the prescribing doctor to justify exactly where in the patients’ medical record why they would be continuing treatment at its current level.

Lawmakers around the country are trying to find budget conscious ways to approach the opioid epidemic that has overturned local budgets around the country. Treating those who have addictions to opioids, heroin and fentanyl can cost upwards of $11,000 per emergency medical treatments, from the cost of 911 call, the ambulance ride, the lifesaving drug overdose reversing medication Narcan, the wages for the emergency medical workers and eventually the continued care at the hospital. Freddie Rodriguez believes the first step in combating this crisis is limiting access to the highly addictive drugs.

In 2016, opioids, which also encompass heroin and synthetic drugs like fentanyl, caused nearly 2,000 overdose deaths and almost 4,000 visits to the emergency room. Studies have shown some California counties have more opioid prescriptions than residents. Rodriguez noted there are doctors who prescribe painkillers “like candy.”

In California, residents in the age group 15 to 29 got 1.7 million prescriptions in 2016, representing 7.2 percent of the state total. A slight decrease from the 1.9 million prescriptions in 2015, which represented about 7.8 percent of the state total. Surprising, the age range that featured the largest prescription rate increase were 70- to 74-year-olds, whose prescriptions grew from almost 1,354 per 1,000 people in 2015 to 1,394 per 1,000 people in 2016. Patients within that age range are highly susceptible to accidental overdoses due to the sheer amount of daily medications taken by that age group on average. 

Author: Kevin Leonard
Organization: TheRecover.com
Address: 27420 Jefferson Ave, Temecula, CA 92590
Phone: 888-510-3898

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d0fed3a-d21d-467b-a7e9-8f039ab6be2f