CDC: Prescribing rates for controlled substances vary widely by state

Prescribing practices for opioid pain relievers and other controlled substances varied widely among eight states reporting 2013 data to the Prescription Behavior Surveillance System, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In all eight states, opioid analgesics were prescribed about twice as often as stimulants or benzodiazepines (sedatives/tranquilizers). Prescribing rates by drug class varied widely across states: twofold for opioids, fourfold for stimulants and nearly twofold for benzodiazepines. The top 10% of prescribers wrote half or more of the opioid prescriptions in the eight states. The PBSS data were submitted by prescription drug monitoring programs in California, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio and West Virginia. Other states also operate similar programs. According to the CDC report, “tracking changes in these metrics over time can be useful in measuring the effect of policy changes designed to reduce prescription drug misuse.”