Prescription drugs are used for a variety of reasons, but among the long laundry list of possible side effects, there is sometimes a high risk of addiction. While many people are quick to brush off this warning, several people have learned the hard way. In addition to providing addiction services at facilities like our Lake Worth drug rehab, The Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, known as E- FORCSE (Electronic-Florida Online Reporting of Controlled Substance Evaluation Program), was created by the Florida legislature in 2009 as an initiative to encourage safer prescribing of controlled substances to reduce the risk of addiction and overdose. Below is more on E- FORCSE and its benefits.
Florida Prescription Drugs Abuse Statistics
A big part of the opioid epidemic in the United States is prescription drugs. In Florida in particular, there were 3,235 overdose deaths from prescription opioids in 2021. In 2000, this number was under 500.1 Part of the problem with these drugs is their highly addictive nature.
Between 21% to 29% of patients using prescription opioids for chronic pain will misuse them. Unfortunately, misuse can quickly lead to abuse. Even worse, people who do not get prescription drug addiction treatment for these addictions may move on to harder opioids like heroin or synthetic opioids.
Opioids include both prescription and illicit substances, ranging from oxycodone and hydrocodone to the street drug heroin. Opioids work by binding to opioid receptors in the central nervous system and other regions of the body. When attached, opioids block pain signaling and activate the brain’s reward system.
The result is a surge of dopamine, which leads to increased mood, euphoria, and a sensation of well-being. This activation of dopamine mimics that of the body’s natural release of dopamine when exposed to stimuli such as sex and eating. Over time, the brain becomes accustomed to this forced increase in dopamine, causing the individual to become physically and mentally dependent on opioids.
According to research, Florida providers continue to write prescriptions at a higher rate than the national average.2 The most commonly abused prescription drugs in Florida include:
- Opioids such as illicit fentanyl, carfentanil, and heroin collectively led to over 4,000 overdose deaths in 2016. However, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone were also involved in almost 5,000 deaths. These drugs have triggered addiction in numerous Floridians over the decades. According to a 2021 report by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in which deceased individuals were medically examined for drug use, 4,140 opioid-related deaths were reported, which is a 5.5% increase (216 more). Additionally, 4,740 individuals died with one or more prescription drugs in their system.4
- Morphine was involved in 2,040 deaths, causing 1,338 deaths in 2016.
- Oxycodone was involved in 1,382 deaths, causing 723 of these deaths in 2016.
- Hydrocodone was involved in 692 deaths, with 245 of those caused directly by this medication in 2016.
- Methadone was involved in 499 deaths and directly caused 330 deaths in 2016.
- Codeine was involved in 509 deaths and caused 87 deaths in 2016.
- Tramadol was involved in 510 overdose deaths, and it was the direct cause of 144 deaths in 2016.
In addition to opioids and painkillers, benzodiazepines are also commonly abused drugs in Florida. From 2019 to 2020, benzodiazepine overdose emergency room visits per 100,000 visits increased by 23.7%, both with (34.4%) and without (21.0%) opioid co-involvement.5 As disturbing as these statistics are, the good news is that Florida has taken some steps to solve the problem with the Florida E- FORCSE Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
What Is E-FORCSE?
E- FORCSE stands for Electronic-Florida Online Reporting of Controlled Substance Evaluation Program. Also known as the Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, the program was created by the 2009 Florida Legislature in an initiative to encourage safer prescribing of controlled substances and to reduce drug abuse and diversion within Florida. Through the FL Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, controlled substance dispensing information is submitted to the database by dispensers and made available to prescribers. This way, prescribers will have a more detailed history of their patients’ past and current medical history.
This type of reporting also makes it easier for enforcement agencies to track doctor shopping and misuse among patients as well as foul play among prescribers. Before prescribing a controlled substance to a patient over the age of 16, doctors must first review the patient’s prescription history using the Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. This requirement can help practitioners better recognize prescription drug abuse. Failure to abide by these rules can result in disciplinary action, including taking the practitioner’s license for repeat offenses.
Each prescriber and dispenser or their designee has to consult the Florida PDMP to review the patient’s dispensing history of controlled substances each time a controlled substance is prescribed or dispensed to a patient age 16 or older unless a statutory exemption is in place.3
Statutory exemptions include:3
- If the patient is less than 16 years of age
- The drug being prescribed is a nonopioid schedule V
- The system is not operational
- The requestor has a technological or electrical failure
Controlled Substance Abuse Treatment
The opioid epidemic has persisted since the late 1990s, when a surge of opioid prescriptions flooded the nation. As a result, thousands of Americans have lost their lives or been personally impacted by the abuse of opioids like oxycodone, hydrocodone, heroin, and, more recently, fentanyl. Long-term use of these drugs is known to cause severe addiction as well as an increased risk of overdose, and those affected are advised to undergo professional opioid addiction treatment.
Fortunately, treatment facilities like our Banyan Lake Worth rehab have fortified their efforts to ensure individuals battling addiction get the best help possible. If you or someone you care about is addicted to opioids, we can help. Not only does our BHOPB detox center offer medical withdrawal treatment for opioids, but we also incorporate therapy programming into our levels of addiction treatment to ensure clients are treated for their mental health as well as their physical health.
For more information about our addiction treatment in Lake Worth and how we can help you regain your sobriety, call Behavioral Health of the Palm Beaches today at 561-220-3981 or give us your contact information, and we’ll reach out to you.
Sources:
- NIH – Florida: Opioid-Involved Deaths and Related Harms
- NIH – Opioid Overdose Crisis
- Florida Health – Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement – Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons by Florida Medical Examiners
- CDC – Trends in Nonfatal and Fatal Overdoses Involving Benzodiazepines — 38 States and the District of Columbia, 2019–2020
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