Last updated : April 14, 2025
Drug overdose deaths are on the decline in the United States, and that’s a trend we want to continue. Some experts in the medical community attribute it to the wide availability of naloxone. Sold on the market as Narcan, this drug temporarily reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. However, reviving addicts from near death isn’t really getting to the heart of the issue. We need a training program that combats drug abuse with rehabilitation.
Enter Edward Bednarczyk, Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Outcomes and Practice Advancement at the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. He has dedicated his life to studying opiates and their effects on the human body.
In 2017, Professor Bednarczyk and his team of UB pharmacy researchers developed a training program for all New York licensed professionals authorized by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to prescribe controlled substances. Nearly a decade later, the training program that UB helped initiate in New York State is a state-mandated online course and is an essential tool in the fight against opioid misuse.
What does the training cover?
The Opioid Prescriber Education Program is a four-hour accredited training program for licensed professionals with DEA authorization. The online course covers seven areas on authorizing addictive medication.
They are:
- Prescribing controlled substances
- Pain management
- Appropriate prescribing
- Managing acute pain
- Palliative care
- Prevention
- Screening for signs of addiction
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) funds the program, and it’s supported by the New York State Department of Health and accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Since 2017, thousands of medical professionals have completed the course, the majority of whom reside in New York state.
A question worth asking
Professor Bednarczyk stated the team’s primary objective was to answer this question: “Would a large-scale, enduring, online training program administered in an academic environment be feasible?” It didn’t take long for them to receive their answer because, according to Bednarczyk, “We found that the doctors, pharmacists, nurses and others who went through the program demonstrated an increased knowledge afterwards.”
The program was updated from two parts into one comprehensive new program in 2023. So far, more than 90,000 prescribers and pharmacists have completed the ongoing course.
Did New York pave the way?
New York was monitoring prescription drug use clear back in 1914 when it established a system under the Town-Boylan Law. The short-lived system required physicians to submit a duplicate prescription form to a centralized database to try and keep a handle on physicians who were overprescribing opioids. Other plans for monitoring who is using prescription drugs that could be habit-forming have been put in place since searching for the best solution.
Other states jumped on the bandwagon in the following years leading up to the prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) we see in place today. These electronic databases track controlled substance prescriptions from health care providers on a state-wide level.
When set up correctly, PDMPs keep pharmacists and physicians in the loop blocking patients from obtaining opioids from several different providers. The practice is known as “doctor shopping.” Missouri became the 50th state to join in when it began a statewide database in 2021.
Knowing the signs
Robert Wahler, another clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice at UB, created a module for the program to teach pharmacists to recognize people who are at risk for opioid dependency or overdose. The basis of the program stemmed from not only the signs and symptoms of dependency, otherwise known as addiction, but also drew attention to the number of pills prescribed, as well as other factors.
While pharmacists aren’t privy to witnessing all of the signs of opioid use disorder, they are worthy of noting here.
Physical Signs
- Lack of regard for physical appearance
- Small pupils
- Decreased respiratory rate
- Non responsiveness
- Drowsy
- Loss or increase in appetite
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Sweating
- Shaky hands, feet or head
- Large pupils
- Wearing long-sleeves or hiding arms
Behavioral Signs
- Change in attitude
- Change in personality
- Avoiding contact with family and friends
- Change in friends
- Lost interest in hobbies, activities or sports
- Drops in grades or performance at work
- Isolation and secretive behavior
- Moodiness, irritability
- Nervousness, giddiness
- Tendency to steal
Advanced Warning Signs
If you discover any of the following signs, the person is likely a full-blown addict.
They include:
- Missing medications—Stealing medications from family and friends is a sure sign a person has no control of their behavior when craving the drug.
- Burnt or missing spoons and/or bottle caps—This would indicate they are preparing the drug for injection.
- Syringes—Used for injecting the drug into their veins for immediate effect.
- Small bags with powder residue—Undeniable evidence of drug use.
- Missing shoelaces or belts—These are used for tourniquets to make blood veins stand out.
We’ve got a way to go
We celebrated as a nation when we learned that the number of deaths by overdose is declining. However, we can’t drop the ball and proclaim the game is over. We have to keep pushing for treatment programs that allow people struggling with substance abuse to be rehabilitated. Handing out Narcan and promoting the “do drugs with a buddy” system saves lives, but seriously, what kind of life must that be?
We agree with Professor Bednarczyk’s take on the matter when he said, “I think we’ve made a meaningful dent in the misprescribing of opioids. And I think that we’ve done a much better job of managing patients’ pain. However, we see a whole bunch of new drugs that are being blended with fentanyl. While deaths may plateau or even drop, we need to keep an eye on this.”
And, keep an eye we will. Even more so, we need to make our voices heard by anyone who will listen. Continually teaching our children about the dangers of drug abuse and addiction is making headway, too. Remember, slow and steady wins the race, and the push isn’t stopping until we cross the finish line.
