New law aims to combat opioid addiction in N Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina is taking a proactive approach to battle the opioid epidemic that has swept the nation,  which a local substance abuse counselor said could save lives.

Doctors will be limited in the number of drugs they can prescribe starting Jan. 1.

Dwight Gayle has wondered why doctors sometimes overprescribe him pain medication.

“Got my wisdom teeth,” he said. “I ended up taking maybe two tablets out of 30.”

The law that cuts back on the number of painkillers a doctor prescribes states that doctors will only be allowed to prescribe five days of pain medication for things like a broken bone and seven days of medication for pain after a surgery.

Every day, people with opioid addictions seek help and the new law could stop more people from becoming addicts, experts said.

“I would say 90 to 95 percent of heroin addicts that we see here started on prescription medication that was prescribed because of an acute injury or they found in the medicine cabinet,” Ward Blanchard, CEO of The Blanchard Institute, said.

What You Need To Know: Opioids What You Need To Know: Opioids

Blanchard, a clinical addiction specialist, said the new law could save lives because there will be more accountability from doctor's offices and pharmacists to keep track of pain medications.

A patient will have to return to the doctor if he or she still needs medication after five to seven days.

“(It gives doctors) an extra opportunity to take a look if there is another medication that can work well, or have an opportunity to talk about other avenues to address the pain,” Blanchard said.

The law also requires doctors and pharmacists to report all prescriptions to the state's controlled substance reporting database.

Blanchard said that will hopefully help catch people before they end up in his office to get treatment, or worse, overdose.

“This is an effort and a very admirable one, courageous effort to be one of the leaders in the country to put limitations on what we can prescribe,” Blanchard said.

The new law will not affect patients dealing with chronic pain -- including those with long-term back injuries -- or people in nursing homes or hospice.

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