Name: New Jersey says doctors must prescribe Narcan alongside opioids for at-risk patients
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New Jersey says doctors must prescribe Narcan alongside opioids for at-risk patients

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NorthJersey.comView CommentsFor the duration of the coronavirus crisis, doctors, dentists and other health care workers who prescribe opioids to patients with chronic pain may now have to prescribe an overdose-reversal drug alongside it.Announced Thursday by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the rule demands that health care practitioners prescribe naloxone, commonly known by its brand name, Narcan, to those regularly taking higher doses of opioids or combining opioids with benzodiazepines, which include anti-anxiety medications like Xanax.&nbsp;Similar rules had already been proposed by the various state boards governing medical professionals, according to the order. But the pandemic, along with a rising number of overdose deaths, led state officials to leapfrog the time-consuming approval process.“The administrative order announced today allows us to expeditiously expand the availability of this lifesaving drug at a time when we need it most,” said Paul Rodríguez, acting director of the state’s Division of Consumer Affairs.Addiction experts lauded the decision, which takes effect immediately and will last until the public health emergency passes.“We are very supportive,” said Angelo M. Valente, executive director of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. “Those that have become dependent, and are abusing these prescribed medicines, are at risk. So being able to provide any kind of lifesaving support is crucial.”The monthslong pandemic — and the joblessness, social isolation and stress it has brought with it — &nbsp;Calls to state addiction help lines have risen, as have alcohol use, drug overdoses and relapse rates, experts have said.“When movement is impeded and people are confined, it creates depression and anxiety,” said Debra L. Wentz, president of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies. “To treat those uncomfortable feelings, people who have turned to drugs before — as well as people who maybe have never turned to drugs — are more likely to use them.”'We already had an epidemic going on':NJ reopening phases:At the same time, social distancing rules have made in-person addiction counseling nearly impossible. Many support groups have moved to telehealth platforms, which patients and experts alike say is less effective than live meetings but better than nothing.Taken together, these difficulties may be contributing to the statewide uptick in suspected overdose deaths. There were 253 fatalities in March and 241 in April, the Attorney General’s Office said. That’s up from 2019, when there were 215 in March and 209 in April.Narcan use is rising as well. First responders revived overdosing people 1,237 times in March 2020, up from 1,139 times in March 2019. They reported a similar increase in April, when they used Narcan 1,197 times, up from 1,054 in April 2019.The coronavirus can directly drive up&nbsp;the death toll, as those with lungs damaged by the disease may be at a higher risk of opioid overdose, state officials said.&nbsp;More overdose victims are also refusing to go to the hospital after their episodes — a fifth declined the trip in March, up from 13% the month before. The order said this indicates a “hesitancy on the part of individuals with substance use disorder to be treated at a hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.”Making Narcan available to those with opioid prescriptions totaling 90 morphine milligram equivalents a day or more, as the order requires, will also free up cops and emergency medical workers who would otherwise have to respond, it said.The attorney general said this would also help preserve limited supplies&nbsp;of personal protective equipment.There is a well-established risk for those taking such high levels of opioids. In a national sample of the federal Veterans Health Administration, patients with chronic pain who died of overdose between 2004 and 2009 had been prescribed an average of 98 morphine milligram equivalents per day.&nbsp;The federal Centers for Disease Control and&nbsp;Prevention now warns doctors to be cautious when prescribing that kind of dose, which more than doubles the risk of overdose.&nbsp;Valente, of Drug-Free New Jersey, said the temporary rule may open the door to giving Narcan to more opioid users in the future.&nbsp;"We can certainly look at the results and how impactful it was and see how we can potentially expand it in the future," Valente said. "It's absolutely necessary at this point."Steve Janoski covers law enforcement for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news&nbsp;about those who safeguard your local community,&nbsp;.Email:&nbsp;&nbsp;Twitter:&nbsp;&nbsp;View Comments

NorthJersey.comView CommentsFor the duration of the coronavirus crisis, doctors, dentists and other health care workers who prescribe opioids to patients with chronic pain may now have to prescribe an overdose-reversal drug alongside it.Announced Thursday by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the rule demands that health care practitioners prescribe naloxone, commonly known by its brand name, Narcan, to those regularly taking higher doses of opioids or combining opioids with benzodiazepines, which include anti-anxiety medications like Xanax.&nbsp;Similar rules had already been...

New Jersey says doctors must prescribe Narcan alongside opioids for at-risk patients

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