Posts Tagged OxyContin

Reasons Why Prescription Drug Abuse Is On The Rise

Posted by Drug Free in Prescription Drug Abuse on December 28th, 2010

Prescription drug abuse is dubbed by a feature on the Chicago Sun-Times as the “fastest-growing drug problem” in the United States. Deaths due to accidental drug overdose have increased five-fold over the last twenty years, according to the CDC. It also overtook heroin and cocaine combined as the cause of overdose deaths in the United States in 2007.

This meteoric rise of prescription drug abuse is due to several reasons. The fact that these drugs – usually painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin, and Fentanyl – are basically legal substances that are prescribed by doctors for legitimate reasons, people think that it is safer, regardless of whether it is used properly or abused.

prescription drugsSally Thoren, executive director of Gateway Foundation, an organization that provides substance abuse treatment, said: “People think, ‘It comes from the doctor. Mom took it for a toothache or a broken bone. How bad can it be?’”

Another reason for the surge is the fact that there was also an increase in doctor prescriptions for painkillers, a trend that began in the 1990s. According to Kathleen Kane-Willis, director of Roosevelt University’s Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy, the greater availability of prescription painkillers became the catalyst for more widespread abuse: “In the 80s and early 90s, there was so little pain medicine prescribed… Now, the pendulum has kind of swung the other way.”

She suggested that while there is no need to deny pain medication to people who need them, it is important for doctors to have frank conversations with their patients regarding the dangers of prescription drug abuse.

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Middle School Kids Overdosed on OxyContin

Posted by Drug Free in Prescription Drug Abuse on November 17th, 2010

A report on KOIN Local 6 shared that the police in Hillsboro, Oregon, are investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident of OxyContin overdose in a local middle school.

Four students of Raymond Brown Middle School – two boys and two girls, aged 13 and 14 – reportedly overdosed on OxyContin. This was confirmed by school officials. The incident happened on Monday, and emergency crews were called to the school, according to Lt. Mike Rouches of the Hillsboro Police Department. The students were consequently taken to a hospital in the area.

OxycontinThe police shared that the 14-year-old boy had stolen the OxyContin from a parent’s medicine cabinet; the parent had a prescription for the drug.

The police pieced together further that the boy had taken two pills, and shared them with the three other kids. Two students also reportedly took two pills, but one of the girls took 15 pills – enough pills to be fatal. The girl had to be kept in the hospital overnight, and her stomach had to be pumped in order to get the drugs out of her system. It was fortunate that she was able to survive, and was released from the hospital on Tuesday morning.

The students may have been experimenting with the drug, according to the police. The incident had two sides to it, though; while it is a cause for concern that the students were able to somehow get access to the drug and decided to abuse it, it was also through the effort of other students to inform school staff about the incident that ensured that no one got killed.

This serves as further reminder to parents to ensure that powerful drugs such as OxyContin, which are prone to abuse, are kept inaccessible to teens and kids.

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Prescription Drug Abuse Needs Special Attention

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on October 4th, 2009

prescription drug

The dangers associated with prescription drug abuse were brought to light in 2007 when a 24 year old man and a 13 year old girl overdosed within a spell of three months. Since then abuse of Rx drugs has reached alarming proportions. It is high time that the government pays special attention to the issue or else the loss that the country is sure to face in terms of youth potentials, is beyond imagination.

Inland Rep Mary Bono Mack told the members of the Western Hemisphere subcommittee that the nation’s domestic drug policy should give emphasis on the problem of prescription drug abuse – a problem which is growing beyond proportions. “Just because it’s sitting in the medicine cabinet doesn’t mean its safe,” she said before the subcommittee that had approved legislation that would create a commission to assess the effectiveness of U.S. counter-narcotics efforts.

The members of the legislation agreed to what Bono Mack said. Subcommittee Chairman Elliot Engel said, “For too long our country has been overly focused on the supply side of the drug trade, while paying far too little attention to what happens here at home.”

Bono Mack’s own son, Chesare is a recovering addict who first started taking Oxycontin, a painkiller, after the death of his father, former entertainer and Inland Rep. Sonny Bono. Chesare’s Oxycontin addiction later escalated to heroin addiction. This transition from prescription drugs to heroin is a common feature amongst this population.

A special drug-diversion unit is being formed by the Montana Department of Justice to fight against the growing problem in the state. The special unit will be funded by a $ 1.2 million stimulus grant through the U.S. Department of Justice. The team will comprise of six members – three investigators, a public outreach and education co-ordinator, a prosecutor and an administrative assistant. Their approach will include prevention, law enforcement and treatment.

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Propofol – the drug that might have killed Michael Jackson

Posted by DrugFreeHomes in Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Drug Rehabilitation, Drug Testing, Prescription Drug Abuse on August 14th, 2009

Propofol

Pop icon Michael Jackson’s death has shifted the attention of specialists and service providers in the field of addiction to a drug named propofol – a potent drug which was found in MJ’s home along with IV stands and oxygen tanks. Just three days prior to his death on 25th June, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists had warned the hospitals to restrict the availability of the drug since abuse of the drug amongst medical professionals is becoming a growing concern. Handling long shifts, stressful cases as well as easy access to drugs has fuelled the problem of drug addiction amongst them. 

Deprivan, the brand name under which the drug is sold, is a sedative used in hospital settings primarily for colonoscopies, cosmetic surgeries, bone repair and same-day knee surgery. The drug is administered intravenously and it works very quickly. According to Dr.Wischmeyer, “If you try to count backward from 100 after injecting it, you don’t get to 97.” It is also considered to be a clean drug since it clears the system very quickly. The drug is only safe for hospital patients and constant monitoring for “airway management” is a must to ensure that breathing does not stop.

The drug can bring a short but captivating high after the sedation wears off. Medical professionals have been using it as a recreational drug often for “pronapping” – a short rest induced by the drug. But gradually they get addicted to it requiring specialized intervention.

The standard drug tests cannot detect propofol and with a half-life of 5 minutes, it does not affect the behavior in a way that signals addiction. 

“Could propofol be the next OxyContin?” Some doctors say “no” since it is difficult to administer and only medical professionals can do it.

Should proponol be classified as a controlled substance? Please share your comments and views regarding the matter.

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