Beverly Hills, Calif. (August 29, 2013) – In response to the launch of the Internet System for Tracking Over Prescribing (I-STOP), a new program that requires New York-based physicians to review the medical histories of patients prior to prescribing opiate painkillers, Waismann Method® Administrative Director Clare Waismann has called the first-of-its-kind program a groundbreaking effort to curb opiate abuse. I-STOP, which launched August 27, targets prescriptions for common painkillers including OxyContin®, Vicodin®, and Lortab®.
“The ability to monitor prescriptions has existed, and although it’s disappointing that an effort like this has taken so long to be implemented, I’m truly hopeful the rest of the country will soon follow suit,” said Waismann, who’s also a registered addiction specialist. “Prescription drug abuse is crippling our country, killing thousands, and it’s time patients, the medical community, and legislators come together to take real action. I-STOP is a great first step at reducing the number of people succumbing to opiate dependency.”
According to a Huffington Post report authored by Tom Frieden, MD, MPH and director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the problem of prescription drug abuse stems largely from nonmedical use of painkillers as many individuals are sourcing the narcotics from people who were originally prescribed to them by doctors. Deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses are also on the rise, with more than four times as many people dying in 2010 as in 1999, which equates more than 125,000 American lives lost in the last 10 years from prescription painkiller overdoses.
The new I-STOP law mandates that before a prescription can be written, doctors now have to access the Prescription Monitoring Program through an Internet Portal. Monitoring programs can offer insight into doctor shopping (obtaining prescriptions from multiple doctors) and other behaviors that may indicate abuse. The law will also require pharmacists to report when they are filling controlled substances, and in the future controlled substances will require an e-prescription to curb forged prescriptions.
“New York has the opportunity to pave the way for similar programs in other states and make much needed strides in ending the rampant, dangerous abuse of opiates, but I also urge lawmakers to make treatment more widely available and remove the stigma and fear for people who are apprehensive about seeking treatment,” said Waismann. “By limiting access to these drugs, the next step is to help sufferers regain control over their bodies and it’s critical that laws like these integrate a strategy for detox and rehabilitation.”
For more information about the Waismann Method® please visit www.opiates.com.
About Waismann Method® Treatment
Waismann Method®, directed by Dr. Michael H. Lowenstein, is a pioneering opiate treatment based on a safe and proven protocol that utilizes the most advanced medical techniques available. A major center for opioid dependency, treatment and detoxification based only in California, Waismann Method offers a variety of programs from rapid opiate detoxification under sedation, to medically assisted detoxification and other forms of treatment at Domus Retreat. Our doctors, therapists and staff work with patients to create personalized treatment and aftercare plans designed to ensure a healthy and effective transition to life without opiates. Waismann Method® patients achieve an extraordinarily high success rate because our team of professionals assesses and performs treatments that are most appropriate for each unique patient rather than administering the same treatment to everyone. Based on individual needs and dependency histories we create detoxification and aftercare programs that are customized to each patient. We always put treatment and care over blame and punishment. For more information, please visit opiates.com.
Source: Reuters
