Medical Official Voices Concern over New Opioid Rules

ATHENS — Some doctors in Texas say there’s a good and bad side to new pharmacy rules designed to prevent opioid abuse. The rules allow pharmacists to question the legitimacy of some prescriptions. Athens physician Dr. Doug Curran, president of the Texas Medical Association says that can cross the line. Curran adds, “And I do think it can be challenging sometimes whenever…you’re told, especially if you’re an orthopedic surgeon or you’re a physician who has to use pain medicines — and pharmacists are pushing back saying, ‘Well, I’m not gonna prescribe that many,’ or you can only prescribe seven days.” He says seven days with a broken hip or something like that isn’t going to work. He says they want to fix the opioid crisis, but not at the expense of patients in pain.