Opiates in Saskatoon

Last year, I read an article about Mayor Clark and his experience during an unfortunate police ride along where a person died from an opiate overdose. I applaud the Mayor for taking the ride along and I would hope that all Councilors complete the same within their first year of service.

At an NSBA Women Entrepreneur evening presentation, I heard pharmacist and business owner, Christine Hrudka, present her views on opiate use in our community. Later that evening, I spoke directly with her to find out how better to push to get pharmacists to be given the ability to help with opiate withdrawal.

In Alberta, there is a medical treatment group called the Orion Pain Centre where a medical team help people who are dependent but not addicted to opiates to slowly wean off them from very high dosage levels. The pharmacy lead in that group is the major contact who helps people throughout the withdrawal period with only sporadic doctor interaction and oversight. If we can get some of our front-line pharmacists to get this training, and then allow them to help with this issue, it would give more medical interaction for those currently on opiate pain medications and it would help lessen the load on doctors for this purpose. Doctors would still oversee the process but the more accessible pharmacists could help moderate dependant people moving free of opiates. This system would not work for addicted individuals.

It would help to get as many people educated and off opiates as possible before they someday become addicted and out of control. Opiates are effective pain medications but their usefulness over time is limited. Every injured person or those coming off surgery should learn that these medications lose efficacy for pain over time and your body becomes more pain sensitive while on them for prolonged periods. Helping people off them in a reasonable and controlled way will help free up more resources for those who could not be caught earlier in the system.