‘Pendulum Swung Too Far’
The end result of all these efforts is that opioid prescribing in the U.S. has
fallen by nearly 50 percent, even as drug deaths continued to climb to record levels, fueled primarily by street drugs made with illicit fentanyl.
“It seems like the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction, where people deserving and people needing controlled substances are unable to access them,” said Colin Banas, MD, Chief Medical Officer for
DrFirst, a healthcare technology consultant.
A recent survey of 400 patients by DrFirst found that one in four (27%) had run out of medication while waiting for their prescription to be renewed. Many had to contact their pharmacy or doctor more than once to get their prescription renewed.
Banas is concerned that DEA plans to
reimpose “guardrails” on prescribing that were suspended during the pandemic will undermine telehealth and make it even harder to get controlled substances. The DEA’s proposed rules, which many consider confusing, will require patients to have an in-person meeting with a provider before being prescribed a Schedule II controlled substance like oxycodone.