Blog Post

Battling the Opioid Epidemic with Prescription
Drug Monitoring

Prescription Drug Monitoring

Prescription Drug monitoring is a critical tool in the fight against the opioid epidemic. While state-based prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) let us know what drugs patients are prescribed, we must also know what drugs are actually in a patient’s system, prescribed or not.

The Opioid Epidemic

Annual surveillance report of drug-related risks and outcomes

Despite many efforts that have helped decrease opioid prescriptions, the number of deaths involving prescription opioids increased from approximately 22,600 in 2015 to more than 32,000 in 2016 (equivalent to about 89 deaths per day).1 The discrepancy in trends between the number of opioid prescriptions written and prescription drug deaths is due to opioid misuse. Dangerous combinations of prescription drugs, such as opioids and benzodiazepines, have also contributed to the increase in deaths. In addition, as prescription opioids have become less available, many people with substance use disorder (SUD) have started using heroin. Recently, more and more people with SUD have begun using fentanyl because it is cheap and potent. Heroin is also being cut with fentanyl, which increases the risk for drug overdose.

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs

To combat opioid misuse, almost all states have implemented PDMPs. These programs require physicians and pharmacies to report prescribing information of Schedule II to IV or V drugs.2 PDMPs allow healthcare providers to find out if a patient has already received a prescription for a controlled drug. These programs have helped to decrease the number of Schedule II opioid prescriptions by 30%.3

Do You Know What Drugs Your Patients Are Taking?

Despite their value, PDMPs cannot comprehensively capture opioid misuse. One reason is the lending or borrowing of prescription medications, known as medication sharing.4 Analysis of over 230,000 urine drug testing results from Quest Diagnostics has shown that medication sharing is not uncommon5 :

  • Opioids and benzodiazepines were found in over 25% of urine specimens.
  • In 52% of specimens, 1 drug class was prescribed and the other was nonprescribed.
  • Almost 1 in 5 specimens that were positive for prescribed opioids were positive for nonprescribed benzodiazepines.
  • Over 15% of specimens with prescribed benzodiazepines also were positive for nonprescribed opioids.

Urine Drug Testing Is Important and Can Save Lives

Urine drug testing provides an objective assessment of drug use. Testing can be divided into presumptive and definitive tests. Presumptive drug tests are used to detect possible use of many drug classes including opioids. However, they do not determine which opioid a patient is taking. Nor do presumptive tests detect synthetic opioids. Definitive drug tests use more complex methods (e.g., mass spectrometry), and identify specific drugs and metabolites in the test specimen. They can be used to confirm presumptive test results.

Ongoing drug testing can help monitor a patient for adherence to a medication regimen. Patients may be taking nonprescribed drugs, skipping doses, or not taking their medications at all. If a test is negative for a prescribed drug, there is a risk of diversion (illegally giving drugs to others). Unexpected results can also be because a patient has a fast or slow metabolizer opioid genotype.6

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that urine drug testing be performed before starting opioid drug therapy.7 Follow-up testing, at least annually, for prescribed and nonprescribed medications, and illicit drugs should also be considered.7

 

References

  1. Opioid data analysis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/ analysis.html. Updated February 9, 2017. Accessed July 10, 2018.
  2. Prescription drug monitoring frequently asked questions (FAQ). Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Training and Technical Assistance Center website. http://www.pdmpassist.org/ content/prescription-drug-monitoringfrequently-asked-questions-faq. Accessed June 26, 2018.
  3. Bao Y, Pan Y, Taylor A, et al. Prescription drug monitoring programs are associated with sustained reductions in opioid prescribing by physicians. Health Aff (Millwood). 2016;35:1045-1051.
  4. Beyene KA, Sheridan J, Aspden T. Prescription medication sharing: a systematic review of the literature. Am J Public Health. 2014;104:e15-e26. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301823
  5. McClure FL, Niles JK, Kaufman HW, et al. Concurrent use of opioids and benzodiazepines: evaluation of prescription drug monitoring by a United States laboratory. J Addict Med. 2017;11:420-426.
  6. Agarwal D, Udoji MA, Trescot A. Genetic testing for opioid pain management: a primer. Pain Ther. 2017;6:93-105.
  7. Dowell D, Haegerich TM, Chou R. CDC guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain — United States, 2016. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2016;65:1-49.
  8. Rummans TA, Burton MC, Dawson NL. How good intentions contributed to bad outcomes: the opioid crisis. Mayo Clin Proc. 2018;93:344-350.
  9. Annual surveillance report of drug-related risks and outcomes— United States, 2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/ pdf/pubs/2017-cdc-drug-surveillancereport.pdf. Accessed July 6, 2018.
  10. Kandel DB, Hu MC, Griesler P, et al. Increases from 2002 to 2015 in prescription opioid overdose deaths in combination with other substances. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2017;178:501-511.