ASHEVILLE, N.C. — A major change in the rules for getting the most common prescription painkiller. Starting today Hydrocodone is now classified as a schedule two drug.
News 13s victoria dunkel is live in asheville victoria we are talking about hydrocodone of course absolutely and we’re talking about stiffer rules and regulations when it comes to getting the prescriptions filled did you know in 2012 doctors wrote 125 million prescriptions for hydrocodone which goes by the brand names of vicodin lortab and there’s generic versions out
There on the market as well the changes are impacting thousands of people who rely on these painkillers now here’s what we have uncovered the reasoning for this back in august the dea the drug enforcement agency announced that it was going to change hydrocodones classification making a schedule 2 drug that stiffens the regulations and the controls over it so what
Does that mean for the person one of the thousands of people who rely on these painkillers every single day well that means that they’re going to have to change the way they get their prescriptions filled in fact starting today if you had an existing prescription it is now invalid and that means a trip back to your doctor’s office for a handwritten prescription no
More calling it in or emailing them to the pharmacists it will mean some added steps and the pharmacists do expect to see their drugs their pharmacy stores busier than ever with people waiting but it is a move that’s being made because of an extreme spike in the abuse of these drugs it’s not people who have legitimate prescriptions for using them it’s folks who are
Getting their hands on them on the black market or taking them out of the medicine cabinet at home and abusing them in fact this is one of the most highly one of the highest causes of drug overdoses in our country i was doing some research a moment ago and the cdc says that pharmaceutical drug overdoses account for 55% of overdose drug that’s in our country coming
Up in our next half hour a few more of the rules and regulations and what you need to do if you fall into this category where you’re going to need a new prescription to get your painkillers reporting live in asheville victoria dunkel news 13 rule changes for the thousands of people who rely on prescription painkillers news 13s victoria dunkel is live outlining the
Hydrocodone changes that well there are a lot of changes that are involved and they involved people needing new prescriptions starting today here is what we know the reason we’re in front of the hospital here is because er visits tied to abuse of this type of drug led to two and a half million er visits in 2011 with more than 1.4 million of those tied to pharmaceutical
Drug abuse or overdose so these are the most commonly prescribed painkillers and that is why the drug enforcement agency is or dea took action just a few short weeks ago to reclassify them starting today they will move from a class scheduled 3 to a schedule 2 drug and that puts them in the same category as drugs like morphine and methadone and it also allows for
Stricter regulations so what does that mean for a person who has a legitimate need for this painkiller and has been receiving it by prescription well it means you’re getting a new you have to get a new prescription and it has to be hand written by your doctor in the past up until today doctors had been able to email or call in those refills for you now you will
Need to go and get a written prescription and deliver it by hand to the pharmacy now the pharmacists we spoke to said they do expect to see an increase in the number of people waiting for prescriptions and showing up to get these filled but they do say that it is going to be worth it because it is going to help possibly cut down on this staggering increase in the
Number of people who are overdosing by abusing these drugs they’re getting it on the black market people are selling them on the street or they’re also getting it by just rating the medicine cabinets at home in fact they have been leading to 55 percent of all drug overdoses in the last cdc numbers that were released coming up in our next half hour more details on
The changes that are taking effect starting today reporting live in asheville victoria dunkel news 13 new rules for those taking the most commonly prescribed pain killer in the u.s. news 13s victoria dunkel joins us live in asheville and victoria we’re actually talking about hydrocodone exactly and it’s actually one of the drugs that leads to more than 2.5 million
Trips to the er for either abuse or misuse of the drug and most of those are from pharmaceuticals like hydrocodone so what is happening today is the drug enforcement agency is enacting its changes it announced about six weeks ago that means that the hydrocodone has been switched from a schedule 3 to a schedule 2 drug so what does all that mean well the changes are
Impacting thousands of people who rely on the painkiller because it makes it a class of drug that falls in with methadone and morphine so it’s going to be more heavily regulated and that means the days of having your prescription renewals and refills emailed or called into the pharmacy are gone you must now go to your doctor have a handwritten prescription filled
Out for you and then you take that to the pharmacy and the pharmacist will take care of the prescription at that point we spoke to some pharmacist right after the announced we came down and they do anticipate some extra lines and a little bit of waiting as they get everything figured out but they’ve been talking to patients ever since the announcement came out
And reminding them to get with their doctors and figure out a plan of approach on this they do expect it to add a little more cost to the whole process but they say in the end we’re looking at something that could help save hundreds of thousands of lives and that is more the focal point regarding this change so again today hydrocodone has become a schedule 2 drugs
Stricter regulations regarding the prescriptions and how they’re handled and you can find out more details by speaking with your doctor directly or your pharmacist reporting live in asheville victoria dunkel news 13 happening today rule changes for the thousands of people who count on prescription painkillers news 13s victoria dunkel is live outlining those changes
Surrounding hydrocodone and vick many people need new prescriptions starting today that’s exactly right because hydrocodone starting today is now a schedule 2 drug that means it is lumped in with other drugs like morphine and methadone and the reasoning for it is why we’re standing outside the emergency room at a hospital like this because hydrocodone and drugs like
It are responsible for more than half of the emergency room visits for drug abuse and misuse in the united states that’s according to the cdc in fact 55% of drug overdose deaths are tied to pharmaceuticals so in august the dea announced these changes i mean this is the most commonly prescribed painkiller we’re talking about here hydrocodone more than 125 million
Prescriptions for the drug alone in 2012 and dea is concerned about the spike in the number of people getting their hands on it who aren’t supposed to have it either being sold in the black market on the street or people just getting a hold of it out of the medicine cabinets at home so what’s going to happen now is people who legitimately need this to manage pain
And keep themselves on their medication are going to need a new prescription and no more will they be able to have their doctor call the pharmacy or email that prescription in they will have to go to their doctor’s office they will have to get a written prescription and then take it to the pharmacist now the pharmacists say that they are expecting to see a little
Uptick in the business and of course the long lines will be there a little bit at the beginning but it should work itself out they say and what they’re expecting is that this in the long run will help increase the safety when it comes to the abuse of hydrocodone in similar class drugs reporting live in asheville victoria dunkel news 13
Transcribed from video
New Hydrocodone Law By WLOS News 13