Some States Place Limits on Painkiller Prescribing

At least 17 states have passed laws limiting painkiller prescribing, The Washington Post reports. Some states have enacted measures that limit opioid prescriptions to five or seven days, while others have passed dosage limits. Kentucky passed a law that limits opioid prescriptions for acute pain to three days, the article notes.

Last year the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidelines that recommend primary care providers avoid prescribing opioid painkillers for patients with chronic pain.

“When opioids are used for acute pain, clinicians should prescribe the lowest effective dose of immediate-release opioids and should prescribe no greater quantity than needed for the expected duration of pain severe enough to require opioids,” the CDC stated. “Three days or less will often be sufficient; more than seven days will rarely be needed.”