Prescription drug monitoring programs are now being used extensively in several American states, but there is a dearth of data on their effectiveness in curbing the number of opioid overdoses, as found out by a recent study.

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Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Are Unable to Combat Overdose, Finds Study
Prescription drug monitoring programs are now being used extensively in several American
states, but there is a dearth of data on their effectiveness in curbing the number of opioid
overdoses, as found out by a recent study. The rationale behind using these programs is to
prevent the replication or overlapping of prescriptions for opioids – the practice commonly
known as doctor shopping.
Chris Delcher, from the department of health outcomes in the University of Florida College of
Medicine, said that it is important to understand if these programs are helping in any way by
curbing the fatal and non-fatal overdoses. According to him, in an era where the changes are
being made and implemented at the federal level to combat the opioid epidemic, it is natural
to assess the utility of such programs.
Delcher and his team
published their findings in
the journal Annals of
Internal Medicine in May
2018. The study was
sponsored jointly by the
Bureau of Justice Assistance
and the National Institute
on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and it
was led by the scientists
from the University of
California, Davis and the
Columbia University.
The team of researchers
investigated as many as
2,600 scientific publications and found that only 10 linked prescription drug monitoring
programs to overdoses. Even in these 10 studies, the team found an exceedingly low evidence
of the effectiveness of the programs in reducing fatal overdoses, leading to inconclusive
outcomes.
Inadvertent outcomes
The study authors came across some surprising findings. Three studies showed that after the
implementation of the prescription drug monitoring programs, there was a rise in overdose-
related deaths due to heroin. A 2013 study showed that in Philadelphia and San Francisco,
there was a transition from prescription drugs to heroin because of the latter’s easy
accessibility and cheap cost.

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Moreover, in 2011 in Florida, after the implementation of the program, the number of
overdoses dropped due to oxycodone, but there was a concomitant rise in overdoses related
to fentanyl, heroin and morphine. Delcher explained this by stating that crackdown on
prescription opioids facilitates transition to other drugs.
The researchers found three parameters from the prescription drug monitoring programs
that impacted the number of fatal overdoses. These were:
1. Reviw of patient’s medical history by the doctors before writing a prescription.
2. Increase in frequent updation of patient’s prescription data.
3. Increased accessibility of patient data to the providers.
Delcher shared that investigating the efficay of the prescription drug monitoring tool is one
of the ways to improve its efficiency and usability. He said that the tool could be made more
refined and spontaneous so that it comes handy to the busy physicians, and they are better
able to classify patients’ risk of misuse, abuse or overdose. Delcher is presently striving to
improve the patient-risk algorithms, overlying medication dashboards, and other data-
influenced methods to enhance the database.
Opioid overdose deaths on the rise
Nearly 350,000 people succumbed to opioid overdose – both prescription and illicit –
between 1999 and 2016. The overdose-related deaths manifested through three phases:
 The first phase began in 1999 when the prescriptions for opioids increased
(methadone, natural and semi-synthetic opioids).
 The second phase commenced in 2010 when overdose deaths increased due to
heroin.
 The third phase began in 2013 when overdose related fatalities increased due to
fentanyl. Many times, fentanyl is laced with heroin and cocaine, and sold in counterfeit
pills.
Road to recovery
Addiction usually begins from a prescription and when the prescription runs dry, people fuel
their addiction through illicit drugs. These drugs can have a catastrophic effect on every area
of one’s life. Thus, one should take drug abuse help from a good drug abuse clinic before it is
too late.
If you know someone who is addicted to opioids or any other prescription drug, you can seek
help from the California Prescription Abuse Helpline. Our representative can give you details
about some of the finest California prescription abuse treatment centers, where recovery is
facilitated in a safe and secure environment under the supervision of trained therapists. Call
us at our 24/7 helpline 855-738-2770 for more information on some of the state-of-the-art
rehab centers in California.