Have you heard of the prescription drug addiction radio show? It’s based in Florida, on WGUL 860 AM. This week’s show - airing on Sunday, September 21st at 9:05 p.m. - is about House of Representatives Bill 6353 which will change the laws on Internet availability of drugs that may cause prescription drug addiction.

The Bill has already been passed by the Senate, but Congress is dragging it’s feet.

OxyContin, Vicodin, Lortab, Duragesic, Methadone, Valium, Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Ambien, and Lunesta are on the list, but there are more.

Although the prescription drug addiction epidemic is in no way confined to Florida, rehab centers in that State are inundated with people who have a prescription drug addiction or abuse problem. And nearly 70% of the drug-related deaths in Florida involve a controlled prescription drug like those that are included in the Bill.

On the Internet, these drugs are anything but controlled. It’s easy enough to get the drugs without ever seeing a doctor, no matter how old you are or what symptoms you have. In other words, the Internet has become a haven for drug dealers.

The Bill that would restrict prescription drug trade on the Internet is currently with the House of Representatives but has not yet been put forward for a vote. Make sure you contact your congressperson to make  your voice heard. And if you need help with prescription drug addiction for yourself or a family member, contact a drug addiction treatment center.

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Poplar Bluffs, Missouri, a town of  about 16,000 people, is undertaking a major crackdown on prescription drug addiction and abuse which , says police chief Danny Whitely, has reached the epidemic proportions they saw with meth a few years ago.

This year alone they’ve had 75 reports of lost or stolen prescription drugs, 90% of which were false - which means the person who falsely reported the theft gets arrested for trying to get the prescription filled again fraudulently. They’ve also had 64 deaths from drug combinations this year, and the drugs are even being used as currency - for example, as cab fare.

The most recent busts include a 59-year-old mother, her 30-something son and her 64-year-old boyfriend, all being supported by the government, and selling their prescriptions for nearly $300 more than they paid for them. They were arrested for distribution of a controlled substance. Others were arrested for buying them.

This town is playing it smart. Police recognize the severity of the prescription drug addiction and abuse problem and are liaising with several government agencies to get rid of it.

I don’t know what kind of drug addiction treatment center facilities they have available but, obviously, they’re going to need plenty. What they may not realize is that the law alone will not be enough to stop the trend. Prescription drug addiction is just as hard to stop as illegal drugs - especially when you’re talking about prescription painkillers which, judging by the recent arrests, is their major problem.

Hopefully, anyone who isn’t caught will be motivated by this crackdown to do something about their own, or a loved one’s, prescription drug addiction or abuse problem and get into a drug addiction treatment center before they end up in prison - a far worse fate.

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Drug addicts - even those with a prescription drug addiction or abuse problem, not street drugs - often wind up selling drugs to others to support their habit. In North Carolina, a person selling prescription drugs could wind up in prison for murder. doing that could wind up being charged with murder. That’s North Carolina cracking down on prescription drug addiction and abuse.

The most recent case, only the second in the area, the first was a methadone related-death, involves as 23-year-old man who sold fentanyl - an opiate painkiller similar to OxyContin, heroin, methadone and morphine - to a 19-year-old who died of an overdose.

In case you’re not aware of this, that could have been the very first time that 19-year-old took the drug. He may just have been experimenting.

I’m sure this law would also apply to people who share their drugs with others. And, if things get really tough, it will (and should) also apply to people who leave their drugs around where others can get them.

That may seem harsh, but how would you feel if your kid died from a drug they were given by a friend who got it from their parents’ medicine cabinet? How would you feel if someone else’s kid died because your kid got your drugs from your medicine cabinet? It’s happened many times. And many of those who don’t die develop a prescription drug addiction or an addiction to any other drug, and, even though they’re alive, their lives are ruined. As are the lives of their family and friends.

This kind of incident is a prime example of why you have to educate yourself, and then your family members, on the dangers of prescription drugs. And on the possibility of prescription drug addiction.

Zero tolerance is really the only solution. But if things have already gone past that, the next thing needed is a drug addiction treatment center that knows how to handle prescription drug addiction. It’s not always the same as regular drug rehab - stopping some prescription drugs can be medically dangerous. Talk to a professional prescription drug rehab specialist to find a good solution that suits your particular situation.

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The Waissmann method of rapid detox, touted as a quick way to get someone through the withdrawal period of OxyContin addiction or addiction to other opiates, will no longer be offered at Garden Grove Hospital in California. The only other place it’s offered is in Israel. Someone new has taken over the hospital and rapid detox was one of the first things to go. Both the hospital and the doctors involved have been fined several times for negligence and at least a couple of rapid detox patients have died.  Regardless of fines, rapid detox by any method is dangerous and is usually not what it’s advertised to be.

OxyContin addiction is rampant and some people choose rapid detox to get off the drug. Unlike traditional methods of rehab offered in a drug addiction treatment center, rapid detox promises to get it over with quickly. The procedure itself is a matter of hours, but it often takes the patient weeks or month to recover from the procedure itself.

Also, there’s a lot more to addiction than the detox period. To stay off drugs, the addict also needs rehab treatment - which can take months. But it’s the best treatment available and has the highest rate of success.

At Garden Grove Hospital, rapid detox cost $15,000. There are many facilities that offer it for much less. But if it’s dangerous, and isn’t going to get rid of the addiction, and the patient is going to be sick for weeks or months afterwards, what’s the point of spending the money? Especially when they probably used this method primarily because they thought it was a quick fix.

There’s no really fast way to get someone through OxyContin addiction or, really, any other addiction. Long-term residential care in a drug addiction treatment center is really the best available. If you know someone who’s considering rapid detox, speak to a drug addiction specialist about it first. Make sure it’s someone who is knowledgeable about the different treatment models and doesn’t have a vested interest in rapid detox. Drug Rehab Referral has addiction specialists available 24/7 to answer your questions.

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A recent study, published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, surveyed the records of some, not all, U.S. poison control centers and found that over 9,000 children under 6 have been poisoned by prescription painkillers - most frequently those containing oxycodone and hydrocodone, i.e. Percocet, Lortab, and OxyContin. OxyContin addiction is a nationwide problem for those taking the drug after having obtained a prescription from their doctor and for those who get it illegally, and we know that the majority of teenagers getting in trouble with OxyContin get it from their parents, or someone else’s parents, medicine cabinets. But if nothing else motivates parents to really keep their drugs locked up, this statistic should do it.

In fact, the statistic is probably much higher as not all of the poison control centers were surveyed and, as with any other adverse event regarding drugs, there’s a good possibility that only 5 to 10 percent of the incidents were reported.

Parents with an OxyContin addiction are especially likely to have something like this happen. The drug is basically legal heroin and someone on OxyContin will not be particularly alert to a pill falling on the floor or being left out where kids can get them.

If you’re taking OxyContin and have small kids, or if you know of someone else who is, get them to a drug addiction treatment center. They’re already risking their own lives, don’t let them also risk the lives of their kids.

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The combination of high poverty and unemployment rates, jobs that lead to chronic pain and other health problems, and being hit more directly than any other region in the U.S. by the unethical marketing of Purdue Pharma has left Appalachian area with more than its fair share of physical and emotional pain and OxyContin addiction. 

The region is desperate for help. Where is Purdue Pharma? Where is the company whose misleading marketing and advertising, false claims and outright lies helped cause the OxyContin addiction problem? $634 million dollars came out of that company, and yet there are Appalachian states in a what is basically a competition to receive a piece of a $240,000 grant that will help only a handful of people.

Appalachian mines provide more than a third of the nation’s coal, and their electrical utilities provides 15% of the nation’s electrical output. It is rich in natural resources that could be harnessed to help solve very serious energy problems in the U.S. And yet it is crippled by OxyContin addiction, and many other drugs are right on its heels.

While it’s true we can’t blame Purdue Pharma for all the areas problems, it’s also true that if the company had not marketed a very addictive drug so heavily, lying about it all the while, the region would have nowhere near the OxyContin addiction or all of the problems that go with it. Are they ever going to pay for it? Will they ever really be held accountable? 10% of the U.S. population is in prison for crimes far less destructive than Purdue’s, but none of the principals or employees are in prison.

OxyContin rehab can help solve some of these problems. No one is in a position to change their lives while they’re addicted to drugs. Find a drug addiction treatment center that can help you out.

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It is fairly well known by those who are paying attention that prescription drug addiction is a real problem in Florida. Hernando Today, a Florida newspaper, recently published an article by Kyle Martin all about it. The article - which begins with the sentence “We live in a zombie nation“ - is spot on. Prescription drug addiction is producing a nation of zombies.  People who walk, talk, go to work every day and seem pretty normal but, as Martin said, their minds are clouded and their body is numb. And they probably couldn’t stop taking the drugs without drug rehab. Florida, fortunately, has plenty of them. And many are seeing as many or more people coming for help with prescription drug addiction than are coming for a problem with street drugs.

Martin also tells the story of a person who is now a drug counselor getting addicted to opiates. He started with methadone, prescribed for him for pain following a traffic accident, built up a tolerance to the drug and needed more and more of it to control the pain. Eventually it doesn’t control the pain any more - in fact, recent research shows that prolonged use of painkillers actually causes pain - but you’re hooked on the drug and can’t get off it.

There are millions of people in this position. Not necessarily on methadone, they could be on OxyContin, hydrocodone, Percocet, Vicodin - opiate painkillers that are basically legal heroin. Most of these people may also still be functioning in life right now but, if they don’t get into a drug addiction treatment center to get off them, that won’t last.

Prescription drug addiction sneaks up on you. While it’s doubful that many people who try heroin, for example, think they’re going to get addicted when they start, they at least know it’s a possibility. With OxyContin and other prescription painkillers, it’s really not expected. Several surveys have shown that people think those drugs are safe because they came from a doctor.

Well, they couldn’t be more wrong. And they couldn’t be in more danger.

A drug addiction treatment center can get someone off those drugs. But it’s a good idea to go to one with experience in dealing with them. And with a good success rate - i.e people complete the program AND they don’t relapse. Call Drug Rehab Referral if you’re looking for something like that.

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Here’s a typical story of prescription drug addiction. This guy started on painkillers for a sports injury and 10 years later finally got some help from a drug addiction treatment center. He says he doesn’t know what happened. He just became addicted.

That’s not unusual. First of all, he got the painkillers from his doctor. Drugs from doctors aren’t supposed to be dangerous. Right? Nor are you supposed to turn into what is basically a heroin addict.

The article mentions a survey done in 2002 - and the situation has become much worse since then - that showed that 30 million Americans had illegally used prescription painkillers. Of course, not all of them became addicted and not all need a drug addiction treatment center but even if it was only 10%, we’d have an almost insurmountable problem in terms of the number of people we have facilities to treat.

The director of the local Drug Task Force blames it on the fact that the drugs aren’t illegal to possess and thousands of households (obviously it’s more than thousands) have them right in their medicine cabinet. While that is definitely a factor, I don’t think it’s getting down to the basic.

Finding the real source of the problem would lie more in the answer to questions like “Why do so many people have them in their medicine cabinets?” “What’s wrong with our health care system that so many people are in pain?” “Why are so many people prone to drug use, drug abuse, and prescription drug addiction?”

Realistically, there are only so many drug addiction treatment centers around. And it usually takes  several months to get someone through a program successfully - i.e. they’re actually rehabilitated and aren’t going to go back on drugs. And there are millions of people who need help.

We can help family members and friends, but until we get the answers to some of those questions and start addressing them effectively as a society, we’re not going to really resolve the problem of drug abuse - including prescription drug addiction.

If every person who knew someone with an alcohol or drug problem made sure that person got into treatment - a good drug addiction treatment center that really got the job done, not just a little detox and they’re out of there back on drugs or alcohol in no time - we’d make a serious dent in the problem.

Who will take this step?

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I’ve written several blogs about how difficult it can be to get off methadone. A drug addiction treatment center that gets someone off heroin or other opiates is almost always preferable – it gets the person off the original drug without getting them hooked on another. The methadone is an added, usually unnecessary, step and it can be more difficult to stop taking than the heroin or opiate they started with.

Case in point - Tara Tovey started with an OxyContin addiction. Her doctor put her on methadone treatment. She started at 140 mg/day and stayed at that dose for 6 months. She then worked with her doctor to gradually decrease the dosage - she only dropped it by 2.5 mg every two weeks, and even that would sometimes be so devastating she’d wind up spending a whole week sick in bed.
 
She’s been tapering off for nearly one year and should be completely off it in September – one and a half years after she started her drug addiction treatment program. Tara is 19 years old.

Most people who go onto methadone treatment are parked on the drug for years without any further attempts at a real drug addiction treatment program that will get them off it.
This story demonstrates how easy is it to develop an OxyContin addiction, and how difficult it can be to get off methadone. In the beginning she tapered the dose by less than 2% every two weeks and still suffered.

With all due respect for Tara and her doctor’s persistence and hard work, I have to say if they had been able to find a good drug addiction treatment center, they would have been able to get her off the Oxy without methadone. It still would have taken several months for full rehab, but she wouldn’t have had to go through the agony of methadone withdrawal. I would advise anyone who has a heroin or OxyContin addiction to explore that avenue first.
 
Nevertheless, the most important thing is that her doctor cared enough to get her through it and not park her on the drug. And Tara persisted. Hats off to both of them.

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Is the threat of prescription drug addiction and abuse - and possibly medical license suspension - keeping doctors from prescribing narcotic painkillers? Apparently so. In fact, a recent article described this dilemma as “perhaps the hottest national debate in medicine today.” And when you look at the number of people showing up in drug addiction treatment centers for prescription drug addiction - not to mention the numbers showing up in hospital ERs and morgues - that’s as it should be.

There’s a lot of information in this article - Treatment for Pain Divides Physicians - and anyone who’s taking OxyContin, Vicodin or other prescription painkillers, or who is in chronic pain and considering doing so, should read it.

One of the doctors, Dr. William Witt, a pain management specialist, doesn’t prescribe narcotics for anything other than post-surgical or similar conditions. According to him, there’s no evidence that these drugs improve function or even continue to give pain relief after six months. He also brought up the recent evidence that narcotic painkillers actually cause pain after taking them for a certain period of time. So, your original pain could well be gone and now you’re taking the painkillers to relieve the pain the painkillers are causing. And, by that time, you can be pretty sure you also have a problem with prescription drug addiction and need a drug addiction treatment center to help you get off them.

Crazy situation. And worthy of hot debate.

The thing is, Dr. Witt is a pain management specialist. And he’s apparently good at it. He’s getting people out of pain - serious, chronic pain - every day, without the use of narcotic drugs and without risking prescription drug addiction or the need for treatment in a drug addiction treatment center.

So, why even debate the issue? If you have the option to treat someone without the risk of prescription drug addiction and other side effects, if you have the option to treat the cause of the pain so it is not just being masked with drugs, if you have the option to treat in a way that won’t eventually cause even more pain - what’s there to debate about?

Part of this is the fault of our health care system. I know people on medicare or other health plans that don’t cover alternative therapies. Does your coverage include chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, herbs and other natural therapies or supplements? Probably not. And it’s likely that same for a lot of people. Especially when what’s needed is long-term treatment rather than just a few sessions. And a lot of people, probably most, just can’t afford to pay for it out of pocket.

So, here we are with all these highly trained doctors and other health professionals who aren’t being fully utilized or accepted within our health care system, with about 60 million people in the U.S. in pain every single day, doctors paying a fortune for malpractice insurance, patients in drug addiction treatment centers, hospitals, ERs and morgues because of prescription drug addiction and abuse, alternative health practitioners practically being lined up and shot by the medical establishment, and it’s all costing the U.S. $100 billion a year in medical costs and lost productivity.

Who’s coming out ahead? In the end, probably just one industry. The guys who make and sell the drugs.

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