Oxycodone prescribing

The serious topic of oxycodone and hydromorphone prescribing has been in the news again.  Some of our patients may have concerns about the issues raised in the CBC stories.  Some may be affected by oxycodone addiction, or may have relatives that are affected by it, now or in the past.  On the other hand, some patients may be concerned that they will be left in pain because of under use of these drugs.

The first thing to point out is that our prescribing policy on oxycodone and hydromorphone has not changed.   We have not stopped prescribing oxycodone, because we never have prescribed oxycodone.  We have only ever prescribed oxycodone to patients as part of terminal care.  The Strachur Medical Practice, our Scottish branch, had only one patient taking the drug when I last checked with them. 

The second thing is to reassure patients that we will be very aggressive in treating their pain.  We are very experienced in treating chronic pain using a wide range of medications. We take chronic pain very seriously.  We look at the patient as a whole, and we use lots of different medications to treat pain.  This includes opiates such as tramadol, codeine, morphine and fentanyl where necessary.  We have been able to control pain in vast majority of patients using this strategy for years.  We are very experienced in terminal care, including palliative care at home.  We are also experienced in dealing with drug addiction and how to support patients who are trying to overcome their addictions.

Finally, with regard to oxycodone/hyrdomorphone we have only asked patients to find another doctor if they have been dishonest or abusive.  Some patients have chosen to go to other doctors who have different prescribing policies, and that is entirely up to them.  Hopefully, the great majority of patients who have joined our practice who are on these drugs have understood our reasons for our policy and that we have their best interests at heart.

Not prescribing oxycodone is not news to us.  It is the norm.  I have not been prescribing these drugs for my 13 years as a family doctor.

I hope this information is reassuring to our patients.  If anyone has any concerns or questions about oxycodone prescribing please let us know.