San Francisco research suggests that Coprescribing Naloxone With an Opioid Aids Chronic Pain Management July 6, 2016 Primary Care, Public Health Opioids, Prescribing 0 Coprescribing naloxone (multiple brands) to primary care patients who take opioid analgesics for chronic pain is feasible and may reduce opioid-related trips to the emergency department (ED), new research suggests. Unintentional opioid overdose is now a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Targeting the distribution of naloxone, a fast-acting drug that reverses opioid overdose, to those likely to suffer an opioid overdose ― mainly illicit drug users ― has reduced opioid overdose deaths in communities where this practice has been implemented. Limited research suggests that this practice could be extended to primary care patients receiving long-term opioid therapy for pain. To investigate further, Phillip Coffin, MD, from the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues assessed the feasibility of introducing and scaling up naloxone coprescribing at six safety-net primary care clinics in San Francisco. Participating providers and clinic staff were trained and supported in how to educate patients about opioid overdose and to prescribe naloxone. The findings of the study were published online on June 28 in Annals of Internal Medicine. Read more here. Comments are closed.
