PA Medical Society Issues Guidelines for Doctors and Patients to Address Opioid Use, Says Heffley
5/19/2016
HARRISBURG – In order to address Pennsylvania’s widespread and devastating opioid abuse crisis, the PA Medical Society issued guidelines to both patients and doctors to encourage a proactive approach to prescription drug use, said Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon).

At a press conference on Tuesday, the PA Medical Society encouraged Pennsylvanians to “Be Smart, Be Safe, Be Sure” about prescription drugs and their associated risks.

Patients are urged to ask their doctors seven questions before taking a pill for pain. The questions include: 

  • Is this prescription an opioid?
  • At what level of pain should I take this prescription?
  • Do I have to take every pill in the prescription?
  • Where can I safely dispose of the remaining pills?
  • What can I do to avoid addiction?
  • What are possible warning signs of dependence or addiction?
  • What can I do if I believe that I might have developed a dependence on this drug?
Doctors are directed to take five important actions when treating patients, which include:

  • Know the prescribing guidelines.
  • Use the ABC-MAP Database (Achieving Better Care by Monitoring All Prescriptions) once it is available.
  • Refer patients who have a substance use disorder to treatment.
  • Discuss alternative options to opioids with patients.
  • Ask patients to keep their pills safe and to properly dispose of medication.
“I am glad to see the PA Medical Society is taking steps to address Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis. These are good recommendations and I encourage parents to review these with their children. We need to be proactive and take steps to stop this deadly cycle of opioid-dependency that is impacting families and communities all over our state,” said Heffley.

The House continues its bipartisan efforts to combat this problem, and this week passed several bills based on the recommendations of the report of the Task Force and Advisory Committee on Opioid Prescription Drug Proliferation.

Representative Doyle Heffley
122nd District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Morgan Dux
717.260.6695
mdux@pahousegop.com
RepHeffley.com / Facebook.com/RepHeffley