The Thematic Dashboard: Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PMP) contains information and metrics regarding the prescribing of controlled substances in Maine. The PMP is a secure database that is used across the State to improve public health by providing controlled substance drug use information prior to prescribing and dispensing those drugs. The PMP is a key part of Maine’s overdose epidemic strategy by decreasing the amount and frequency of opioid and controlled substance prescribing. For more information about Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program visit the Office of Behavioral Health Prescription Drug Monitoring Program website: https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/obh/providers/prescription-drug-monitoring-program
Metrics in this dashboard include:
- Opioid, stimulant, and benzodiazepine prescribing trends
- Electronic prescribing trends
- PMP clinical alerts
- Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) prescribing trends
At the end of each metric and the informational narratives below there are citations to the Strategy or sub-Strategy from the Opioid Response Strategic Action plan that the metric addresses or measures.
Recent PMP Reports
Maine Prescription Monitoring Program 2022 Annual Report
Maine Prescription Monitoring Program 2021 Annual Report
Maine Prescription Monitoring Program 2020 Annual Report
The State of Maine is working to improve the safety of opioid prescribing and is monitoring the prescribing of controlled substances to identify trends and to engage with outliers.
Through the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program and other initiatives the State of Maine is improving the safety of opioid prescribing as well as the prescribing of other controlled substances. Maine is promoting evidence-based guidelines for controlled substance prescribing and assisting providers with responsibly tapering patients from controlled substances. Metrics regarding prescribing trends and the ability to identify outliers are tracked through the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. (Strategy 12a; 12b; 12c)
Further, to help reduce opioid misuse and opioid overdose in the state of Maine, the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program receives data regarding controlled substances from prescription dispensers that can be accessed by prescribing providers. Since 2015, the number of morphine milligram equivalents prescribed in Maine has decreased as has the number of patients prescribed opioids and the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed to patients.
This metric tracks the morphine milligram equivalents prescribed by providers, the number of patients receiving opioid prescriptions from their providers, and the number of opioid prescriptions dispensed in the State of Maine. The data is provided by the Office of Behavioral Health. The data is reported quarterly.
Source: Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Annual Report 2021.
Electronic prescribing of opioids enhances the ability for the State to prevent misuse.
As of August 1, 2017, providers in Maine are required to prescribe any opiate medication by electronic means. This measure enhances the ability of the State to electronically track prescriptions of opiate medications and avert potential misuse and diversion. The data is provided by the Office of Behavioral Health. The data is reported annually.
Source: Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Annual Report 2021.
Benzodiazepines and stimulants are increasing as cointoxicants involved in overdose deaths alone or in combination with other drugs and alcohol.
Long-term use of benzodiazepines can cause physical dependence, addiction, and overdose death. Benzodiazepines used alongside pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical opioids increases the risk of respiratory suppression as well as nonfatal and fatal overdoses.
Stimulants elevate heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing and can cause paranoia and anxiety. Excessive use and non-medical use of stimulants can be dangerous and deadly damaging the respiratory, cardiovascular, and central nervous systems causing irregular heartbeat, heart failure and seizures among other side effects.
This metric tracks the number of patients receiving benzodiazepines and stimulants from their providers and the number of benzodiazepine and stimulant prescriptions dispensed in the State of Maine. The data is provided by the Office of Behavioral Health. The data is reported quarterly.
Source: Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
Source: Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Annual Report 2021.
Maine’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program provides alerts to clinicians to reduce the risk of overdose
The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is one tool that improves the safety of prescribing controlled substance through the generation of automated alerts to clinicians under circumstances where attention may be warranted to increased risk for problematic substance misuse or overdose. Clinicians are alerted when prescriptions of opioid medications exceeds 100 morphine milligram equivalents per day, when a patient has with five of more controlled substance prescriptions for different providers or when controlled substance prescriptions for a patient are dispensed at five or more pharmacies within 30 days, and when a patient has concurrent prescriptions for opiate and a benzodiazepine medications. (Strategy 12.a; 12.c; 12.f)
Source: Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Annual Report 2021.
Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is an essential component of the State’s public health strategy to combat the overdose crisis
The prescribing of MOUD has dramatically increased over the past six years. From 2017 through 2021 total MOUD dispensation has increased 133%, buprenorphine prescribing has increased 303% and methadone prescribing has decreased 48%.
The following chart shows the dispensation trends in MOUD in Maine from 2017 to 2021. This data is reported annually. It is important to note that the Prescription Drug Monitoring program collects data on dispensed prescriptions at retail pharmacies and does not track controlled substances dispensed at hospitals, carceral settings, or in stand-alone opioid treatment programs like methadone clinics. (Strategy 22.a)
Buprenorphine is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid use disorder as a medication assisted treatment. It was the most frequently dispensed controlled substance in 2021, with 19,440 unique patients filling 360,455 prescriptions.
This metric is an indicator of linkages to treatment for individuals with opioid use disorder. This data is provided by the Office of Behavioral Health. It is updated monthly.
Source: Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Please note data for most recent month is provisional and will be finalized as more complete data becomes available. Only prescriptions for buprenorphine that are filled at a retail pharmacy are entered into Maine’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Prescriptions dispensed at hospital clinics are not required to be reported to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.
Source: Maine Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Please note data for most recent month is provisional and will be finalized as more complete data becomes available. Only prescriptions for buprenorphine that are filled at a retail pharmacy are entered into Maine’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Prescriptions dispensed at hospital clinics are not required to be reported to the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.