I read with great concern the April 8 article in The Lima News headlined: “Berger: Docs deserve blame for opiate problem.” There are several misleading statements contained in the article. I hope that my comments will provide accuracy and clarity on an issue that we are all committed to addressing.
As physicians practicing medicine in Lima and Allen County, the members of the Academy of Medicine of Lima and Allen County are troubled by deaths attributed to overdose from prescription opioids, illegal substances, and misuse of legal pain medications. There have been multiple changes to Ohio law which have affected the process of prescribing medications which we have been using, including searching a state database containing the controlled substance history of thousands of patients who have been prescribed medications for pain and other conditions.
And we’re beginning to see positive results: In 2016 there were 162 million fewer opioids dispensed in Ohio compared to 2012 which correlated to a 20 percent decline in the number of prescriptions written for opioids during that same period.
But Ohio’s current problems cannot be solved simply by adding more prescribing regulations for medical professionals. Alternative non-opioid methods for treating pain must be reimbursable by insurance companies so that treatment and recovery options are more readily accessible and affordable for those who are already addicted. We must also remember that some patients legitimately have acute or chronic pain that is helped by reasonable doses of opioid medications. We cannot limit prescriptions so much that these patients suffer.
Jennifer Niesen, DO President Academy of Medicine of Lima and Allen County
