New rules for hydrocodone refills in NY State

[Clipper]

www.uticaod.com/latestnews/x930806318/New-rules-for-hydrocodone-refills-in-NY

I am surprised that NY is so far behind some other states in passing this law.

In Tennessee and Virginia, a handwritten scrip is required every thirty days for oxycodone OR hydrocodone, as well as other controlled substances. You have to either go to your provider's office and pick it up, or have it mailed to your home every thirty days. It can't be faxed or called in.

Tennessee did have a lot of trouble with "pill factories" popping up calling themselves "pain clinics." They have put some stringent controls on such businesses, and they closely monitor and inspect them and their records. The end result? The pain clinics all moved to the Carolina's and to Florida. Now the addicts have to drive to Florida or somewhere else for their pill shopping.

It seems as though it would not be a desirable way to waste a medical education and license, knowing that eventually they always catch up with those places and the doctors lose their license to practice.

[bobbbiez]

Clip, my doctors have always practiced that. Any narcotic prescription I have to go to their office to pick it up. No calling it in or anything else and only a 30 day prescription is given.

[Clipper]

Yep, when we lived up there Kathy's doctor required you to pick up a new prescription every month.

I just chuckle when I see all these new laws come back and bite the legislators in the butt. One would think that it this requirement would have been in place BEFORE they over legislated and made the law concerning doing prescriptions electronically. Making a law to electronically transmit prescriptions to the pharmacy is fine for some things, but the ability to do that is certainly a GIFT to those that abuse pain medications. Anyone skilled in computer use, armed with a little information, could find a way to falsify a prescription and make it look authentic enough to get it filled.

Sounds like it was rushed through with about as much forethought as the Affordable Care Act. What happened to brainstorming and looking at all the negative possibilities as well as the benefits, BEFORE something is signed into law? It seems that this particular item would definitely be quite obviously going to present a flaw in the system that would allow illegal activity to take place.

NY's new gun laws are another legislative insult to society that hopefully will be overturned by the supreme court. These people like Cuomo, Bloomberg, and Obama just think that they are so mighty and powerful that they can walk over the top of constitutional rights and dictate whatever they feel inclined to dictate.

[bobbbiez]

Clip, talked to my doc about this at my appointment this morn and he stated the drug Hydrocodone (Oxycodone) is now the new druggies delight and is being abused and even being sold illegally on the streets by those obtaining it with a legal prescription. He said most doctors, including his-self, won't even prescribe Hydrocodone (Oxycodone) to their patients because of it being abused in many ways.

[Clipper]

Hell BZ, that has been going on for years. Our doctors simply control it tightly. We have to take our medication with us to appointments. If we had a 30 day scrip and 20 days have gone by, we have to have 10 days worth left. It doesn't make sense to deprive people that NEED a good pain medication of the benefits because of abusers. It is like gun control. The bad people do bad things with guns and the good people take the heat and lose their rights and privileges.

The VA went to using Tramadol for most cases. Tramadol is about as effective for severe pain as extra strength tylenol. In fact the VA recommends taking 2 tabs of Tramadol and 2 extra strength tylenol as a standard dosage.

It is a matter of doctors closely monitoring the usage. Tennessee has a registry program and if you try to get more than one prescription for narcotics, it pops up on a database that is checked by pharmacists when they go to fill a prescription. It doesn't allow early fills, even if the doctor writes a refill. If your prescription is a thirty day fill, you can't REfill until the 29th day.

I take oxycodone for back and knee pain. It is the only thing that actually gives me relief. My doc has told me that it will not become addictive as long as I take the prescribed dose. I get a scrip for 30 tablets for 30 days at a time. I only take it when I bowl or do something strenuous that bothers my back and knees. I actually can take it every 6 hrs on a day that I really hurt, but I have yet to need it except for days when I am overly active physically. 30 tablets sometimes last me for 2-3 months.

If my doctor would not prescribe it because he was afraid that it MIGHT be abused, I would find a different doctor. I want a doctor that is concerned with what ails me and what will fix it, not with a paranoid attitude about prescribing proper meds.

[bobbbiez]

Then again, it is always for the patients benefit for their doctor to change medication if a patient is on one drug for a long time. The body does adapt to meds if one is using it for a long period of time. That seems to be happening to the drug Hydrocodone and eventually the patient requires more Mg's to ease their pain. The abuse comes without the patient even realizing it.