A rescheduling of hydrocodone by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2014 was meant to curb prescriptions written for the powerful opioids by providers.
Instead, a study published in JAMA Surgery found, the policy might have had the opposite effect from what officials intended.
Under the 2014 DEA policy change, prescription formulations of hydrocodone were limited to a 90-day supply and could no longer be prescribed by phone or fax. Researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed nearly 22,000 privately insured patients in Michigan who had one of 19 common elective surgical procedures such as knee or hip replacements before and after the policy change.
The data showed an immediate, significant increase following the schedule change in the number of opioid prescriptions filled post-surgery.
The DEA previously finalized an April proposal saying it planned to cut back the amount of a drug allowed to be produced in a given year if it believes a particular company’s opioids are being diverted for misuse.
