With the abuse of prescription medication skyrocketing all across the country it is time the Federal Drug Administration take action. Back in October they recommended tighter controls over prescription medication. It was about time. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has long pushed for stronger controls on prescription medications. For years, F.D.A. officials had rejected recommendations from the D.E.A. and others for stronger prescribing controls on the drugs, saying the action would create undue hardships for patients. As reported in www.nytimes.com.
Would it surprise you to learn that a number of doctors’ groups, including the American Medical Association and pharmacy organizations, have continued to fight the measure, citing the impact on patients?
The key is to understand that in reality these are very difficult trade-offs that our society has to make. The reason the majority of doctors approve these drugs is for people in pain. But we can’t ignore the epidemic on the other side.
The new regulations would reduce by half, to 90 days, the supply of the drug a patient could obtain without a new prescription.
Currently, a patient can refill a prescription for such drugs five times over a six-month period before needing a new prescription. Federal data suggest that most patients take such medications for only 14 days, creating the potential for excess pills to be sold or to be taken out of medicine chests by curious teenagers and others.
The F.D.A. recommendation is likely to have a significant impact on the availability of the drugs, as well as on how pharmacies operate and even the types of medical professionals who can prescribe the medications.
How do you feel about tighter controls? Do you think these regulations will have any effect on the current prescription medication problem in America?