Medical Providers

What you should tell your patients:

• Talk about the dangers and risks of prescription painkillers, especially those that include opioids.
• Offer alternative prescription painkiller options (those that don’t include opioids) to patients.
• Make sure patients are aware of the high risk of addiction, especially among young people ages 12-25.
• Reinforce that patients should take medicine only if it has been prescribed for them by their doctor, physician, dentist or prescribing medical professional.
• Reinforce that patients should take medication only as directed. They should never adjust the schedule or dosage on their own.
• Store prescriptions securely – ideally, locked in a cabinet or drawer.
• Dispose of unused, expired or unwanted medication properly.

What you should do as a medical prescriber:

• Check the PDMP Database before prescribing benzodiazepines and Schedule II opiate or cocaine derivatives.
• Co-prescribe Naloxone to patients receiving high-dose opioid medications.
• Identify patients with suspected opioid use disorder, and link patients to medication treatment.

To report an increase in overdoses, a potential overdose cluster, or any other unusual drug-related event, call the Georgia Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.

Naloxone Standing Order and Medical Amnesty Law

Georgia has a  standing order which permits anyone to buy Naloxone at a pharmacy without a prescription. 

Georgia also has a Medical Amnesty Law, which provides civil and criminal immunity for administration of Naloxone, in addition to limited immunity for possession of drugs or drug paraphernalia to those seeking medical attention for themselves or someone else. 

Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)

All prescribers in Georgia must be registered in the PDMP. It's mandatory for prescribers to verify the PDMP before dispensing benzodiazepines or Schedule II opiate/cocaine derivatives. Additionally, prescribers can appoint delegates to access and record information in the PDMP.

Pharmacists

All dispensers with an active GA professional license and active DEA number are required to register in the GA PDMP.  Dispensers are required to enter prescription information for Schedule II, III, IV, V controlled substances within 24 hours. This provides prescribers more efficient access to information with less wait time as they make the best clinical decisions possible for their patients. By engaging with patients when medications are dispensed, pharmacists play an important role in preventing opioid misuse and addiction.

Prescribing Guidelines

In an effort to help clinicians effectively treat chronic pain while minimizing the risk of opioid misuse and addiction, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published Clinical Practice Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Pain in 2022. These guidelines contain recommendations on prescribing opioids for chronic pain treatment, excluding active cancer treatment, and end-of-life care. 

Survey of Emergency Department Opioid-Related Practices

A Survey of Emergency Department Opioid-related Practices in Georgia – Opportunities for Prevention and Intervention : Summary of findings with links to information on Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), safe opioid prescribing, patient evaluation and linkage to care, and naloxone and overdose prevention education.

_______________________________

Georgia Resources:

• CDC’s Fentanyl Facts
• Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL)
• SAMHSA Find Treatment locator
• GA Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
• GA Strategic Prevention System Reports
• Georgia Prevention Project
• Georgia Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Initiative
• Georgia Overdose Prevention
• Christopher Wolf Crusade (CwC)
• Davis Direction Foundation
• Georgia Council for Recovery

Page last updated 6/24/2024