Doctors Petition FDA To Limit Painkiller Use

A group of doctors, researchers and public health officials want to see the Federal Drug Administration limit the use of prescription pain medications.

However,  Lt. Gary Larsen isn't sure the proposed changes will affect the behavior of people already addicted to painkillers.

Members of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing want drug makers to stop marketing narcotic painkillers to people suffering from chronic, non-cancer pain. The petition also identifies doctors who are overprescribing the medications and writing prescriptions for high dosages as the reason for the label restriction.

"By implementing the label changes proposed in this petition, FDA has an opportunity reduce harm caused to chronic pain patients as well as societal harm caused by diversion of prescribed opioids," according to the petition.

According to the Journal Sentinal story:

The petition calls for changing the labels to eliminate the word "moderate," and to include a maximum of the equivalent of 100 mg a day of morphine and a time period of no more than 90 days when used to treat non-cancer pain.

Locally and statewide, prescription medication abuse is on the rise.

In January, Controlled Substances Workgroup, a subgroup of the Wisconsin State Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, identified “prescription drug abuse and narcotic abuse is a growing problem in Wisconsin.”

“Ten years ago we had more illegal drug use and now we have more legal drug abuse because it seems to be more in vogue,” said Lt. Gary Larsen, of the Caledonia Police Department.

But Larsen wonders what affect the label change would have on people who currently abuse prescription medications.

If the drug is more difficult to come by Larsen guesses that more people will switch to illegal drugs. He’s also concerned that people who are legally prescribed the drugs will be targeted for thefts and burglaries.

“People who are caught abusing heroin are often also addicted to prescription medications or they will switch between illegal and legal opioid drugs,” Larsen said. “If they limit the use, are the users just going to go to illegal drug use?”

Because of this, the laws regarding prescription medication use have changed regarding driving under the influence of prescription medications and the current law takes a tougher stance. If a person causes a car crash while driving under the influence of prescription medication, the department didn’t cite the person even if they have been prescribed the medication legally. But now they do, Larsen said.

“We now take them for blood for a blood draw and often times we find out that the person is abusing those medications,” he said.

But the petition would also limit the use of prescription painkillers to people who may legitimately need to control their pain, and who aren’t addicted to the medications.

“You see that some people can take a prescription of Vicodin and be fine when other people do crave the drug,” Larsen said.

Morgan Liscinski, an FDA spokesperson, told the Journal Sentinel that officials with the FDA would review the petition and give their response to the citizens' petition.