U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday to issue guidelines for the prescription of opioids for acute pain.
“Too many stories of addiction start with patients taking prescription painkillers after suffering an injury or undergoing surgery,” Capito said. “Implementing clear guidelines for prescribing opioids for these incidents, not just chronic pain, will help prevent future cases of drug abuse and addiction. The devastation that is occurring in West Virginia and across the nation from this epidemic demands immediate action.”
The CDC currently only focuses its guidelines on opioids for the treatment of chronic pain. Many who become addicted to opioids, however, do so following prescriptions for acute pain for such things as broken bones, wisdom teeth extraction or other surgeries. By updating its acute pain guidelines, the CDC could limit opioid prescriptions and reduce instances of addiction.
“[A] study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association found that 64 percent of surveyed dentists preferred prescribing hydrocodone with acetaminophen after a third molar extraction — a procedure commonly completed on teenagers and young adults — for an average of 20 pills per prescription,” Capito and Gillibrand said in a letter to the CDC. “These researchers recognized that a 20-pill prescription may be more than necessary, and that writing prescriptions for larger numbers of pills, when only a few pills will suffice, may cause patients to misuse the remaining pills.
“One example of misuse is diverting or giving away pills to another person. Indeed, countless studies have shown that at least some teenagers divert these excess pills to their friends. Moreover, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that adolescents who abuse opioids are more likely to receive these medications from a friend or family member.”
Capito has long fought opioid abuse, introducing numerous bills during her congressional career, including legislation to provide state and local communities with resources to address addiction with prevention and treatment programs. She also sent a letter to CDC Director Thomas Frieden in November in support of the agency’s draft opioid prescribing guidelines for chronic pain patients.