Paterson Hospital Shows Pain Can Be Treated Without Opiates

By Elaine and Steve Pozycki

A ground-breaking pilot program, Alternatives to Opiates (ALTO), underway at St Joseph’s Regional Medical Center Emergency Room is demonstrating that most patients can be provided effective pain relief without the use of opiates. So far, three-out-of-every four patients needing treatment to reduce pain were successfully treated by alternative medications and therapy, forgoing the use of highly addictive opiate-based painkillers. This way short-term pain relief does not result in a long-term and often life-ruining addiction problem.

Over-prescribing is the main cause of today’s opiate epidemic. In 2014, more than 200 million prescriptions for opiate-based painkillers, such as Oxycodone and Vicadin, were written.As David Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration said, “The mantra was: “Prescribe until patients achieve pain relief."

Even with the epidemic of opiate addiction to both prescription painkillers and to heroin, their illegal street cousin, taking nearly 30,000 lives annually, prescribing practices have yet to fundamentally change. “The bottom line is we're not seeing consistent, effective, appropriate prescribing of painkillers across the nation, said Tom Frieden M.D.,. Director of the CDC, “and this is a problem because of the deaths that result.”

A recently released John Hopkins University School of Public Health Report on the Opiate Epidemic, which strongly recommends tightening up prescribing practices, notes, “Doctors often prescribe pain medications “in quantities and for conditions that are excessive, and in many cases, beyond the evidence base.” And 85% of Doctors themselves say that opiate based pain medications are over-prescribed, according to national surveys.

St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center is showing there is a better way.We urge all New Jersey hospitals to follow this example and adopt this innovative approach to pain management— one that provides true relief without fueling the addiction epidemic.

The Alternatives to Opiates program should also send a strong message to the New Jersey Assembly to move quickly to pass legislation requiring a conversation about the potential for addiction from opiate-based painkillers and alternative medications before an opiate-based painkiller is prescribed. This communication between Doctors and patients is an essential component of the St. Josephs ER approach.

The Parent Notification Bill (3424) sponsored by Assemblyman Joseph A. Lagana (D-38) requires this conversation when an opiate is prescribed for youth. It will provide parents with the critical information needed to make an informed decision about whether their teenager should be prescribed an opiate. It will let parents know there are alternatives and if a parent makes a decision to go forward with an opiate prescription, this legislation provides the added benefit of alerting them to be on the look-out for any signs of dependence developing.Research shows that the still developing adolescent brain is at particular risk from opiates. Additionally, prescribed opioid use as a teenager increases the risk of future addiction by 33%.

A more expansive version of this legislation, put forward by Senator Loretta Weinberg (D-37) and Senator Joe Vitale (D-19), which requires a conversation with adult patients as well, passed the State Senate 36 to 1, at the end of 2014.. It is long-past time for the Assembly to act, so we can limit the number of ruined lives and senseless deaths. The success at St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center points the way.

Elaine and Steve Pozycki are Board members of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey with Elaine serving as Chair. Steve is the Founder and CEO of SJP Properties.