Opioid Prescribing

By now all pharmacists should be aware that accidental deaths secondary to drug use are on the rise.  The number of people that die each day, directly or indirectly, from drug use is alarming.  OxyContin has gotten the reputation as both a leading cause of drug abuse, "Hillbilly Heroin", and as a effective tool in the treatment of chronic pain.  But how can it be both?  Can a drug be both a life sustaining treatment and cause the death of those patients that use it?  The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been running an occasional series of articles on prescription pain killer use and conflict of interest.  Sunday's article was especially compelling. Here is the link to the article.   

The concern for patient safety has lead many emergency rooms to restrict the prescribing of opioid pain killers. "ERs in Milwaukee County restricting opioid prescriptions" (link).   Appropriately prescribed to the correct patient within the appropriate healthcare framework, opioid pain killers can be life changing.  But life in the ED finds the wrong patients in the wrong healthcare setting.  

An interesting pair of articles.