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Denver Doctors Cracking Down on Painkiller Abuse

by KREX News Room
by Associated Press
by Cori Coffin

Story Created: Jan 21, 2013 at 12:23 AM MDT

Story Updated: Jan 21, 2013 at 12:58 AM MDT

DENVER (AP) - Some Denver-area emergency doctors are restricting the types and amounts of addictive painkillers they administer, citing a nationwide increase in overdose deaths.

The Denver Post reported Saturday that Denver Health' emergency room will stop filling long-term prescriptions for such painkillers as Percocet, OxyContin and Vicodin.

University of Colorado Health is writing policies that would end the practice of filling prescriptions that patients claim were lost or stolen.

Dr. Chris Colwell, director of emergency medicine at Denver Health, says physicians disagree on how tough guidelines should be but the hospital's doctors do agree that patients should be sent back to their long-term doctors for pain management.

A federal report released this month said Colorado has the second-highest rate of prescription-pill abuse in the nation, at 6 percent of the population.

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guest said on Monday, Jan 21 at 7:38 AM

So 94% of people are responsible patients who must suffer in pain because of the few drug abusers? If 94% of the population ONLY drove while sober, alert, and not distracted, it would be called a success. It's all in how you read the numbers.

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