CAUTION / IMPORTANT REMINDER: NarxCare is an application that provides a set of data, visualizations, and resources to support prescribers' and dispensers’ review of controlled substance data from government managed and regulated Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs). NarxCare is intended to aid, not replace, medical decision making. None of the information presented in NarxCare should be used as sole justification for providing or not providing medications.
For additional information on Narx Scores, please refer to the Narx Scores support article.
How Narx Scores, used in concert with additional information, can help to support discussions with patients:
Case A – An 18-year-old male basketball player with no significant medical history presents with a severe ankle sprain. His Narx Scores are:
Narcotic
Sedative
Stimulant
000
000
000
Important Consideration: If considered for a controlled substance due to the severity of injury, this may be the patient’s first exposure to the effects of a controlled substance. Prescribers and dispensers would typically conduct a thorough review of the risks and benefits with the patient.
Case B – An 81–year–old female presents with decreased level of consciousness following a fall where she suffered a closed head injury. Her Narx Scores are:
Narcotic
Sedative
Stimulant
341
501
000
Important Consideration: Many elderly patients are on chronic opioids and benzodiazepines. The physician may want to consider whether this patient’s use of opioids and benzodiazepines contributed to her fall. Alternatively, the physician may want to consider whether the patient may be taking too much medication and conduct additional investigation to determine whether the patient has developed anxiety seizures due to benzodiazepine withdrawal, complicating the patient’s medical picture.
Case C – A 36–year–old male patient with mild chronic back pain frequently treated with controlled substances presents for a medication refill. Upon review of the patient’s PDMP record, the patient has been to 17 different prescribers in the last year. His Narx Scores are:
Narcotic
Sedative
Stimulant
671
240
000
Important Consideration: Many patients obtain medications through multiple different prescribers and dispensers. This can be due to the patient being seen in a clinic that is staffed by different prescribers and dispensers, or it can be due to access to care issues requiring visits to urgent care centers or emergency departments.
CAUTION / IMPORTANT REMINDER: Narx Scores can be used by prescribers and dispensers as indicators to guide further review of details in the patient’s dispensation history while attending to their patients. Narx Scores are intended to inform medical decision-making and should not be used to replace prescribers’ or dispensers’ independent clinical judgment. None of the information presented should be used as sole justification for providing or not providing medications.