Ohio has been fighting the war of prescription painkiller abuse among teens for years. However, a recently published survey suggests those numbers are improving.
According to Ohio Department of Health, the numbers of teens who report abusing prescription painkillers or pain relievers have dropped almost in half, and the number of youth who reported using heroin have decreased from 3.1 percent to 2 percent during the past two years.
“The legitimate prescription of painkillers by doctors is not a problem. Prescription painkillers that are illegally distributed, possessed and used is the problem,” said Charles Hammer, administrator of Athens City-County Health Department. “Local physicians and pharmacists recognize this, and are increasingly careful to monitor patients so painkillers are properly administered.
Hammer credits law enforcement officials, the judicial system and legislators, as well as increased by the medical community, for making great strides in recognizing the problems associated with the abuse of prescription painkillers.
The study was a cooperative effort between the Ohio Department of Health and local communities, Sara Lowe, a human services program consultant at the department, said.
Last October, Gov. John Kasich announced the adoption of new opioid prescribing guidelines for treating patients with chronic, non-terminal pain as a part or an ongoing effort to curb the misuses and abuse of prescription pain medications.
“It came from the Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team (GCOAT), and professional groups, including former director of Ohio Department of Aging and Ohio Department of Health,” said Eric Wandersleben, spokesperson of Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services. “The new guidelines recommend that 80 milligrams Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose should trigger the prescriber to reevaluate the threshold.”
Along with the regulations, Gov. Kasich and First Lady Karen Kasich also launched Start Talking!, a youth drug prevention initiative. This initiative encourages and educates parents and teachers through various prevention-focused programs aimed at raising awareness and encouraging conversations with teens, in an effort to stop the abuse before it starts.
“Research shows when children talk about substance abuse with their parents or any other caregiver, they are up to 50 percent less likely to use,” Wandersleben said.
Hammer pointed out that increased consumer awareness indeed played a crucial part of solving this problem.
“For example, patients, family members and caregivers can be trained to carefully monitor their supplies of painkilling drugs,” Hammer said.
He advised those who have prescription medications at home to lock them up, and destroy unused medications once they are no longer needed.
“These kinds of common sense measures can help assure the continued access to prescription medications for those who need them, and curtail the dangerous consequences of illegal and unmonitored drug use.”
Wandersleben said the department is encouraged by the results, but there’s still more it can do.
“Drug abuse is not just a problem for youth. Anyone can get in that situation anywhere and anytime,” he said. “Future of Ohio depends on us taking action now. Our work is not done yet.”
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