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Woman credits doctor, AHN’s new opioid policy for saving her life

As Highmark makes changes to fight the opioid crisis, Allegheny Health Network is now about eight months into its new program, and it is seeing success.

Channel 11 spoke with a local woman who did not wish to be identified. She said never knew she had a problem until a local doctor came into her life.

“I kept seeing on the news, every time I turn around, ‘opioids, opioids, opioids,’ and I used to think, ‘What is this all about?’ You know, clueless,” she said.

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Six years ago, a doctor prescribed the woman hydrocodone for a back injury. The prescription started at three pills a day, and it worked. Her pain was in check and she was functional. But then she lost her job and her lifestyle changed, and so did her habit.

“Now I'm at home and now I’m bored and now I'm like, ‘Now what?’” she said.

Her pain got worse, and so did her addiction. Soon her doctor prescribed six pills a day.

“One day, I walked in his office and I couldn't remember anyone’s name,” she said. “Five minutes after I left them, I could barely finish a sentence.”

Her doctor took action, and now everything has changed, in part, because of Allegheny Health Network’s drug monitoring policy, which has been in place since June.

“The policy has made doctors think before they write,” said Dr. Jack Kabazie, a pain management specialist.

Kabazie told Channel 11 doctors do an assessment on every patient to determine their risk of getting addicted to opioids. Patients already on the drugs are constantly monitored and doctors have better communication with patients about their future treatment.

“Maybe we should look for causes of your underlying pain as opposed to just shooting from the hip and running for narcotics,” Kabazie said.

The woman we spoke with is now down to just a few pills per day. She sticks to a routine. And most importantly, has taken back control of her life.

Since the program started in June, the number of actual pills prescribed by doctors has gone down considerably, Kabazie said, so there are fewer pills out there today than there were last year.