Nevada enacted a rule back in January 1st, 2018 that made prescribing opioids much more difficult. The reason the law was passed was because there was an opioid pandemic. There were lots of unnecessary over-prescribed patients running into problems and there was a vast increased number of deaths associated with opioids.
In the state of Nevada, going forward, for us to prescribe opioid pain medication we will require two contracts signed by the patient and the physician. One contract states that you are responsible for the controlled substance medication. If the prescription is lost, misplaced or stolen it will “not” be replaced. If you have multiple prescriptions from multiple providers, the Pharmacist can refuse to fill all medications. You cannot accept any other controlled substance by another provider while you are receiving pain medications from us (Dr. Parminder Kang) or one provider. The second contract goes over the risks and benefits of opioids medications and treatment for pain. We only use pain medication for short periods of time (approximately 4 weeks) after knee or hip replacement surgery. After 4 weeks, we will transition to non-opioid pain medication such as anti-inflammatories. It is very important to know that there are alternatives to pain medications such as anti-inflammatories and Tylenol that do help to relieve pain.
Opioid use does have the potential for addiction. There is a certain high that you experience, and It can be very difficult to ween yourself off these medications. This is particularly a problem for patients that have previous drug or alcohol addiction. It is also a problem for patients that have mental illness such as depression or schizophrenia.
The following are some side effects and/or reactions with opioid pain medication:
- Sedation
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Itching
- Allergic reactions
- Problems with thinking clearly
- Slowing of reactions
It is also not safe to drive a car, operate heavy machinery and/or take care of other people while under opioid pain medication.
Please understand that your body can become physically dependent on them and stopping pain medications can cause flu like symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diareah, sweating, body aches, muscle cramps, runny nose, yawning, anxiety and sleep problems.
The opioid pain medications need to be stored safely and kept out of the reach of children. They need to be legally disposed of when you are done using the medications at the local pharmacy, local drug take-back day, or the local police station. If there is a concern regarding a possible overdose of opioids, Naloxone or Narcan is available without a prescription at your local pharmacy. If you believe you are pregnant or are pregnant, Opioid pain medication usage carries significant risk to the fetus. Please notify our staff so they can prescribe alternatives.