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Ontario Doctors Shift Safer Supply Prescriptions
14 Oct
Summary
- Mandatory opioid agonist therapy alongside safer supply.
- Safer supply drugs now dispensed under health supervision.
- No eight-week time limit for prescribing safer supply.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has approved substantial changes to the prescribing of safer supply medications. This initiative aims to curb the flow of illicit opioids onto the streets by modifying how these alternative prescriptions are managed.
Key among the new regulations is the mandatory co-prescription of safer supply drugs with opioid agonist therapy. This dual approach utilizes medications like Suboxone and methadone, which are used to treat opioid addiction. Hydromorphone, a potent pain reliever, is the most common form of safer supply, noted as less potent than illicit fentanyl.
Furthermore, patients will now receive their safer supply medications under direct health-care professional supervision, rather than being able to take them home. This change in dispensing practice is designed to enhance monitoring and safety. However, a proposed eight-week time limit for prescribing these medications has been abandoned by the college.
