Opioid Doses in Ohio Declined Again in 2016

The number of opioid doses dispensed to Ohio patients decreased again last year, making 2016 the fourth year in a row that the number has dropped.

A recent report from the State Board of Pharmacy’s Ohio Automated Rx Reporting System (OARRS) shows that between 2012 and 2016, the total number of opioids dispensed to Ohio patients decreased by 162 million doses or 20.4 percent, from a peak of 793 million doses to 631 million doses. The number of opioid prescriptions provided to Ohio patients also decreased by 20 percent during the same period.

Additionally, the number of people engaged in “doctor shopping” for the purpose of securing an opioid prescription has declined by 78.2 percent since 2012.

Established in 2006, OARRS is a statewide database that collects information on all prescriptions for controlled substances that are dispensed by pharmacies and personally furnished by licensed prescribers in Ohio. OARRS data is available to prescribers when they treat patients, pharmacists when presented with prescriptions from patients and law enforcement officers during active drug-related investigations.

The report found that the use of OARRS has continued to increase, reaching an all-time high of 24.11 million requests in 2016.

Ohio saw a record 3,050 overdose deaths last year, the Associated Press reported. Many of those deaths were attributed to painkillers and heroin abuse.