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How Pain Killers Can Lead to Addiction
How Pain Killers Can Lead to Addiction
It can often happen that one inadvertently gets hooked on pain relievers. This is a story about a young man named Brandon, who used to ride BMX bikes, both motocross and stunt riding. He eventually injured his knee and required pain medications which were prescribed for him — opiates. This led him down the road to addiction.
Fortunately for Brandon, he found a Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility, and has just completed his full recovery from prescription drug addiction. Here is his story.
After hurting his knee, doctors performed surgery to rebuild it. Then he took the opiates prescribed following the surgery, and continued to take them afterwards as he felt better than when he didn’t take them. He never realized the addictive power of these prescription pain killers.
Continuing to ride BMX bikes, he also continued to injure himself, and thus was prescribed more pain killers. Finally, he was taken off the drugs, and began to feel sick, but still didn’t realize that he was suffering from addiction withdrawal. At about the same time, his friends were abusing opiate pain pills and he started too, at parties. At age 16, he started snorting OxyContin, and each time he did so, he didn’t feel sick. In addition, he started drinking alcohol excessively.
Eventually his parents realized what was happening with Brandon and they sent him to a rehab facility for 90 days when he was 17 years old. Unfortunately, Brandon wasn’t ready to quit, and didn’t actually realize the problem with drugs that others saw in him. So, after he was released, he quickly started smoking pot and drinking, and then drifted back to the pain pills.
During his senior year of high school in Richmond, Virginia he started snorting heroin. His friends told him that shooting it was “the way to go,” so he started shooting up and that began his hard-core addiction.
He then tried some rehab programs which used Suboxone (buprenorphine) to help prevent withdrawal symptoms. However, he didn’t realize that he was still taking an opioid drug daily; he just felt better with the Suboxone and assumed that he was doing better than when on heroin.
However, he’d keep drifting back to the friends who took heroin, and he’d slip back into using it again, sometimes selling his Suboxone, or even taking it in the morning so he could go to work, and then coming home to shoot heroin too. He was lucky he didn’t end his life then in an overdose, but he was just lost at this point and didn’t consider that possibility. At this time, he worked for his father hanging drywall, his only purpose being to make enough money for another fix. Weekends were devoted to drug use and partying, and by Sunday his money was always gone.
He went to another long-term rehab about the time he was 21, where he stayed for 11 months. However, even this long interruption of his drug-taking didn’t resolve the addiction pattern. Right before he was supposed to complete the program and graduate, he and someone else from the rehab left for the evening and got drunk. He left the rehab program the next day.
Brandon’s alcohol abuse quickly advanced into more heroin use and for the next two years it continued. Sometimes he could get a prescription for Suboxone but he didn’t use it unless he couldn’t get any heroin.
He finally did come to realize that he had to overcome his addiction. He and his family found the Narconon program over the Internet. With his family’s help, he made the decision to go to Narconon, although his commitment to finding lasting sobriety there was shaky at first. He heard from other students at Narconon how much better they felt and this encouraged him to give the program a real chance.
Once that happened and he started to work sincerely on the Narconon program he felt good about himself again; the first time in many years. He said that he started having a natural happy feeling – and one he hadn’t felt in a long time.
Once Brandon started moving through the program he was able to resolve old feelings of resentment: he says he finally began to grow up while on the program. Seeing himself finish the full Narconon program, the first rehab he actually completed all the way through, was a proud moment for Brandon.
He also chose to stay at the Narconon Rehab Center to aid others to recover from drug addiction. He’ll tell other students, “Dude, if I can do it, you can do it.” He adds, “I’m glad I did this program. With my experience in rehabs, I don’t think people could find a better place to be.”
If you or someone you care about has a problem with pain killer or other drug or alcohol addiction, contact a drug rehab counselor at Narconon International. You don’t have to be trapped in the cycle of addiction. Narconon offers an effective rehab program in fifty locations all over the world.
Will Canada’s Supposed Solution to OxyContin Abuse Work with OxyNeo?
Recently a new drug gained approval of the Canadian government. It is supposed to be the answer to an epidemic of OxyContin abuse, but will this drug really be the solution it is intended to be?
OxyContin is a very strong, frequently-abused drug which acts as an opioid pain killer and is supposed to be formulated so that it is time-released. However, abusers have found ways around its time-release features to abuse the drug in several different ways. They can smoke it, crush and snort it, or dissolve it and then inject it into their veins, bypassing the time-release features so that they get a full heroin-like dose of the opioid in the body at one time. It is estimated that abuse and addiction to this drug plagues 200,000 people just in Canada.
When abusers find that they can not obtain their Oxy for some reason, many turn to heroin, which is surprisingly cheaper and more accessible than the prescription drug. Heroin is readily available from drug dealers on the street, and may be easier to find than to weave through the complex medical systems of Canada or the United States.
The government of the United States approved the Purdue Pharma drug company’s less abusable form of the drug in 2011, but it had to then meet the requirements of the Canadian authorities. This new drug, called OxyNeo was released for Canadian patients in the beginning of March, 2012. It is supposedly formulated to resist dissolving, smoking or crushing, thus circumventing the avenues abusers had used to release the full potency of the drug quickly.
According to reports, this new OxyNeo pill is supposedly too hard to crush but when it is swallowed, will still release the correct amount of medication to the body. Those who find that a whole, intact pill is excreted through their body’s waste channels are informed that they are still receiving the correct amount of medicine as is intended.
For those who would smoke the pills these new ones will not burn, at least not enough to get intoxicated from them. There is also a feature that will turn the pill into jelly when someone tries to dissolve it so it cannot be injected. These features are designed to protect those people who cannot control their extreme craving for this drug.
But, when one is addicted to opiates it is almost inconceivable to not obtain more of the drug. So, what will the users of OxyContin, when unable to obtain more of their favorite drug do to solve this dilemma? If addiction rehab is not a viable alternative, then the opiate addict will undoubtedly try to obtain his drugs from another source.
His choices would be to find other prescription opiates like hydrocodone or fentanyl or hydromorphone, and to find a doctor who would prescribe these for him. Another option would be to try to get the OxyContin from the Internet, and purchase from some other country’s suppliers, such as India or China. Unfortunately these countries may supply false products, which are not the drug at all; or some version which is contaminated with other toxins; or at best, he will get the drug but of some unknown potency. And, finally, and most likely, these users would turn to heroin. Heroin is readily available in Canada and the U.S., and its usage is already on the rise in Canada. According to the site for Canadian news, Canada.com, there have been large increases in the number of students abusing heroin, with that number doubling in just the year 2007-2008 among Toronto students. And, according to the same site, the ages of Canadian heroin addicts is falling, from about age 19 just 20 years ago to as young as 14 years of age now.
This trend does not have to continue.
There is actually hope for heroin or OxyContin and other drug abusers. The very best thing that could happen is that one would not transition off one drug to another, and another after that and so on. It would be far better to find an effective drug rehab program that really can address this issue and handle the addiction for good. There are many drug rehabs in the U.S. and Canada who claim success rates between 16 and 20 percent.
There is one that has been far more effective however and that is Narconon.
At Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, 70% of their graduates regularly stay clean and sober for at least two years after completing the program. In Quebec, at Trois-Rivieres, there is a Narconon long-term residential rehab program for those who are ready to kick the habit for good. There is also another rehab center offering real help for addicts in Alberta, the province which in 2010 had the highest rate of opiate abuse in the country. And, in Vancouver, there is a drug education program offering Narconon’s extremely effective drug prevention curriculum so that young people never even start to go down the road to OxyContin, OxyNeo, heroin or any other drug abuse.
There is help available to those who have been abusing any drugs, marijuana, prescription drugs, or even alcohol. It is the purpose of Narconon to help addicts to find lasting sobriety and become productive, drug-free members of society. This occurs at Narconon centers all over the world on a daily basis.
Find out more details about the Narconon drug rehab program by calling one of our drug counselors.
Will the Coming New Formulation of Hydrocodone Mean More Opiate Addicts Will Need Help in 2013?
As time passes, we get ever closer to the date that Zogenix releases its new hydrocodone formulation, Zohydro. As announced in January 2012, this new formulation of pain medication will contain five times as much of the pain-killing drug hydrocodone but none of the acetaminophen that the earlier formulations contained. These formulations were known as Lortab, Vicodin, Lorcet, and many other names. But in continuous use as when a person suffers from chronic pain, the acetaminophen presents risks of liver toxicity and damage.
On the other hand, hydrocodone is a very commonly abused drug. As it is addictive, it sends many people who have abused it to drug rehabs for recovery.
Despite the concerns of regulators and those who care for those who become addicted, Zohydro is in clinical trials and it set to hit the pain-relief market in 2013.
There are three other pharmaceutical companies who are developing new all-hydrocodone formulas: Teva Pharmaceuticals in Israel, Purdue Pharma that also manufactures OxyContin, and Egalet in Denmark. These other companies are working on formulations that contain deterrents to abusing or tampering with the pills, for example, crushing or dissolving them. The Zogenix formulation does not contain any deterrents.
Will Narconon Centers See More People Needing Drug Rehab?
Hydrocodone is addictive, but the large dosage of acetaminophen that now is included in current formulations is not. This means that anyone taking or abusing the upcoming Zohydro is going to be getting a higher dose of addictive material with every dose. Will this mean that more people are going to be seeking help at Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers across the US?
Already, as many as half the new arrivals at some Narconon centers are seeking help for addiction to pain relievers and other prescription drugs. In 2009, it was estimated that more than 23 million Americans had abused hydrocodone at some point. More than 86,000 needed assistance at an emergency room after they had abused this drug. As an opiate, hydrocodone suppresses a person’s respiration. As it is frequently abused along with alcohol which also suppresses respiration, this can present a threat of death when both drugs work together stop a person’s breathing.
Lasting Recovery is an Essential Part of Curtailing This Epidemic
According to reports from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), about one in three people admitted to addiction treatment in 2010 were being admitted for the first time. The other two were going back to rehab because they did not manage to stay sober. Effective rehabilitation that results in lasting sobriety is needed to fight this epidemic of substance abuse and addiction.
But many drug rehabs do not profess to eliminate addiction. Instead, they quote success rates of somewhere around 20% and explain that relapse is part of recovery. So the family may not be surprised when their loved one begins to abuse drugs once again. The success of the Narconon drug recovery program means that families do not need to experience this “revolving door” of addiction treatment.
Instead, Narconon centers monitor their graduates for a two year period and find that 70% of them stay sober after they get home. This means that even if the threat of addiction stays high because of these new hydrocodone formulations coming on the market, families can find effective help for their loved ones who may become trapped after abusing pain relievers for a short period – or a long one.
Call the Narconon International office to get more information about the Narconon drug rehabilitation program.
Resources:
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9S7N3001.htm
http://www.painmedicinenews.com/ViewArticle.aspx?d=Clinical+Pain+Medicine
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=229812http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/hydrocodone.pdf
Parents can Prevent Prescription Drug Abuse
Although many parents may not know it, they can set the example for their teenagers that will lead them to abusing or not abusing prescription drugs.
In the latest Monitoring the Future study published by the University of Michigan, some trends are noted that may have come about due to the lack of understanding young people have on what drugs can do. In this study, researchers noted that more than half of American schoolchildren have abused an illicit or prescription drug by the time they have finished high school. Additionally, sixty percent reported they had drunk alcohol and 41 percent had engaged in binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks in one sitting) just in the two weeks prior to the study.
Trends noted in this December 2011 report included the news that heroin and cocaine use are somewhat down, but marijuana use was up and exceeded cigarette smoking in teens. Prescription drug abuse is steady at a very high level.
In 2010, the number of high school seniors who were abusing prescription opioids such as hydrocodone or oxycodone was nearly twice the number that had abused those drugs in 1991, hitting more than 13%.
It is easy to see how one can become complacent about prescription drug use, and how easily that can lead one to abuse prescription drugs. In schools, too many children are given prescription drugs to help them focus, or settle down (for problems that are labeled as “attention deficit disorders” of various types); and children and teens keenly observe what their parents do. If parents take prescription medicines for anxiety, pain or trouble sleeping, it is easy to see how kids can think these drugs are harmless. Prescription drugs, however, are not harmless, but addictive, and most are extremely dangerous and easy to overdose on, particularly when mixed with alcohol or other drugs.
However, it is reassuring to know though that as parents we can have a positive effect on our children, simply by talking openly about drugs and their potentially harmful effects. Ideally, one should set an example of abstaining from drug use, as well as openly talking about issues and sharing communication honestly about how one feels about taking drugs or alcohol.
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Colombia University (CASA) discovered that it is important for both parents to agree on their anti-drug and anti-alcohol positions, so that they will present a consistent message when talking to their kids. In fact, CASA found that the decision a child ultimately makes on whether or not to take drugs or alcohol depends strongly on this one factor.
Lower substance abuse rates also corresponded in CASA’s research with having family dinners together five or more times weekly, with higher rates of substance abuse found in families who ate dinner together three or less times per week.
When it comes to those entering drug rehab, almost eight percent of those who enter are in the age group from 12 to 17 years old. If you added all those under 21 who are going into rehab, it amounts to about 15 percent of those two million people entering treatment, or a whopping 300,000 youth. These young people are dealing primarily with marijuana abuse, but alcohol abuse was the problem for 67,000 of them.
When prevention has not worked, and children or teens are addicted to drugs, fortunately, there is Narconon.
Narconon centers exist in fifty locations around the world and offer an effective, holistic, drugless program for rehabilitation that really works. Seven of ten Narconon graduates go on to lead drug-free and productive lives. When a person is caught in the morass of addiction, it is often too hard to pull oneself up alone.
Instead of letting your loved one struggle, call Narconon and get help. Find out how Narconon drug and alcohol rehab services can aid you and your family and work with you as parents to save your family.
Resources:
http://monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-vol1_2010.pdf
http://www.casacolumbia.org/templates/publications_reports.aspx: National Survey on American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVI.
http://oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k9NSDUH/tabs/Sect2peTabs1to42.htm#Tab2.4B
http://monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-overview2011.pdf
Tragedy of Painkiller Addiction
Addiction to painkilling drugs has become one of the most prevalent addictions in America and other countries today. Recently America’s most popular prescription drug was hydrocodone, an opioid pain killer, in combination with acetaminophen – also called Vicodin, Lorcet or Lortab. In 2010, there were an astonishing 131.2 million prescriptions for this drug. (Or about one prescription written for every 2.5 Americans.)
By looking at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) statistics, one can see how dire this trend is. Their 2010 report showed that prescription drug addiction is up 430% from 1999 to 2009, based on the number of people who entered drug treatment for this addiction problem.
How does one get addicted to prescription pain medication? Surely, so many people are not in such horrific chronic pain that it takes huge doses of opiate pain medication to relieve it.
It starts for many with a simple legitimate use of pain medication after surgery, a severe injury, or even a tooth extraction. One may just need a few pills and the pain is gone. However, the person may continue to use the painkiller after that initial pain has gone away. He may seem to “feel better” or just not have some of his usual aches and pains when he takes the pills. Of course, they are opiates, so they do relieve pain, and they are highly addictive.
Some people won’t realize they have a problem even though they find they need more and more of the pills to keep the good feeling of a pain-free body. What has happened is the body has developed a tolerance for them, which means it needs higher doses to feel the relief that was previously achieved with a lower dosage.
Now the person may go back to the doctor and request more prescriptions, he may report that the medication he has isn’t sufficient to handle his pain. The doctor may fill this request a few times, but he may eventually refuse to do so, and now the person needs the drug in order to feel normal, and not feel so achy or sick. He is in trouble now, as he has no legitimate prescription to refill.
Many solutions have been used for this painkilling drug addiction dilemma, some pretty inventive. One can go doctor shopping, in different counties or cities, or even across State lines, in attempts to get prescriptions from different doctors and pharmacies that may not be aware of other prescriptions already written. (Several states are wising up to this phenomenon however, and are tracking prescriptions written for such drugs and penalizing pharmacies for filling multiple prescriptions.)
Some people even try crossing international borders, and purchase drugs over the Internet, even coming from China or India, which brings into question the purity or the actual dosage of the drugs they are getting.
Others switch to heroin when they can no longer obtain their prescription medicines, subjecting themselves to the potential danger of an accidental overdose.
In any case, what has happened is now the person has become addicted to these painkillers. He has lost control of his life and needs an effective drug rehab program to bring him back. Some programs state a recovery rate of only 10 to 20 percent, but the Narconon drug rehab program continues to have 70 percent of its graduates who go on to lead sober and productive lives.
The secret of this program is that it completely addresses the reasons for going down the road of addiction, as well as handling the physical results of such drug use, and giving the person the life skills he will need to continue to live drug-free after completing the program.
Narconon offers a long-term residential treatment program that gives the person a chance to reclaim his life and rebuild his personal integrity which may have been lost during his bout with addiction. He learns how he can stay stable and make good choices in his life, despite life’s challenges.
For the physical addiction, the Narconon New Life Detoxification Program is a unique combination of time spent in a dry-heat sauna along with moderate exercise and liberal nutritional supplementation. This strict regimen results in activating the body’s ability to flush out old drug residues that have been stored in the fatty tissues. Eliminating these toxins has been shown to help those recovering from addiction to have fewer cravings for drugs and in some cases eliminates the cravings altogether.
You may not believe it now, but you or your loved one can safely and completely get off pain pills. Call Narconon to find out more details of the comprehensive Narconon drug rehab program.
Resources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-lee-curtis/king-of-pain_b_240998.html
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/DASIS/teds09st/teds2009stweb.pdf
http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/1112074117.aspx
http://www.clinicalcorrelations.org/?p=4888
Celebrities Affected by Prescription Drug Abuse
Another one of many celebrities struggling with prescription drug abuse is Matthew Perry, former star of “Friends” TV show and current star of ABC’s “Mr. Sunshine.” He has had a history of substance abuse and has gone twice to rehab for treatment of prescription pill addiction.
Celebrities aren’t the only ones fighting the battle with prescription drugs. In the state of Florida, prescription drug abuse is an epidemic. In fact pills are involved in 75% of all the drug-related deaths and on average, 11 people die daily in Florida from prescription drug overdoses.
In the United States, more people are now abusing prescription drugs than heroin, cocaine and ecstasy combined. The drug of choice for a growing number of users is oxycodone, a synthetic opioid sold under the brand name OxyContin. OxyContin is essentially synthetic heroin made in a lab by pharmaceutical companies. Oxycodone has become the most-abused prescription drug in the United States, with hydrocodone coming in second, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s annual count of drug seizures sent to police drug labs for analysis.
Current TV’s series Vanguard aired a disturbing documentary, The Oxycontin Express, in which South Florida was labeled “the Colombia of prescription drugs” and exposed the difficulties facing law enforcement in dealing with prescription drug abuse in what is truly a national epidemic.
Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott finally signed a bill into law in June of 2011 penalizing doctors who overprescribe painkillers, and authorizing a database that monitors prescription drugs in an attempt to control the state’s widespread “pill mills.”
How to Overcome Drug Addiction
But what if you, a loved one or a family member is faced with this highly-addictive drug problem? What would you do? How do you tell if a rehab program is effective? What will work to get one off of drugs for good? Is there a drug-free solution?
Fortunately there is help available. One can rid oneself of the addiction and live a productive, drug-free life again. Narconon is a very effective program, founded more than 45 years ago, which helps the prescription pill addict find his way back to health and sobriety. Narconon drug rehabilitation centers exist worldwide, on six continents and specialize in drug-free detoxification and treatment methods.
The Narconon program consists of two phases. In Phase one, the recovering addict will experience a physical rehabilitation. During the first part the person entering a Narconon will have one-on-one counseling and assistance and plenty of nutritional supplements to replace those destroyed during drug use. This makes for a more tolerable withdrawal. This is followed by the unique Narconon New Life Detoxification Program composed of daily exercise, time in a dry-heat sauna, and more nutritional support. Upon completion of this part of the program, many recovering addicts report fewer cravings for drugs.
However Narconon rehabilitation does not stop here, as this is just the first phase. The issues which led the person to abuse drugs have to be handled in order for him to return to a drug-free life. In Phase two, the student at Narconon studies several life skills courses helping him to rebuild his self-esteem, ability to communicate and control of self and his environment. In doing this, he handles the underlying reasons the person used drugs in the first place.
The Narconon program differs from many others in that it does not substitute one drug for another, and it offers the life skills necessary to live a drug-free life. Once a person graduates the program, there are no Narconon meetings to attend. The person is able to apply the life skills attained to live drug-free.
If you or a family member has a prescription drug abuse problem, call a Narconon rehab center for assistance.
Florida Finally Cracks Down on Pill Mills
Florida has recently earned a new nickname, replacing its well-used “Sunshine State” with “The Oxy Express,” due to the exorbitant rate of oxycodone sales which occur in the state. An estimated 89% of all of the nation’s oxycodone sales actually take place in Florida, and finally the legislature and Governor Scott have agreed to take action. The law, passed and signed by the Governor in June 2011, provides for a drug-monitoring data base to track sales of all controlled drugs, and also cracks down on the dishonest doctors, pharmacies and pill mills who earned the state its new nickname.
Perhaps as an effort to keep the pharmaceutical industry from interfering in its enforcement, the law prohibits the pharmacy industry from funding the drug monitoring system. This new system is to be funded by local law enforcement agencies.
Right after passage of the bill, two Orlando clinics were raided by federal authorities as part of a larger pill mill investigation. According to investigators, one of the Orlando doctors wrote prescriptions for more oxycodone than had been written in the entire state of California.
Here are some of the provisions of the new Florida law:
It creates a prescription-drug monitoring database that tracks the purchase of all controlled drugs.
It forces clinics to keep actual track of patients who receive prescriptions and to report them if they develop drug-abuse problems.
It provides minimum fines of $10,000 and six-month suspensions for doctors who overprescribe painkillers.
It creates a first-degree misdemeanor offense for a pharmacist who fails to report anyone who tries to fraudulently obtain drugs.
It tightens the rules for writing prescriptions, keeping medical records and written pain treatment plans.
There are several more provisions in the law, but overall, its purpose is to crack down on the wrongful and far too common practice of over-prescribing opioid prescription painkillers, and to curtail or stop the clinics which go into business simply to supply illegal drugs to patients who are addicted to these painkillers for the “high” rather than for any legitimate medically mandated use.
It took several years to pass the database. Efforts by proponents were repeatedly limited by legal challenges and lobbying over privacy rights. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, and State House Republican leaders opposed the creation of the database, saying it raised too many privacy concerns and that it was not the most effective way to curb the problem.
The real problem of course, is to curtail the demand for such pain clinics, and the drugs they so willingly dispense. In order to do that, one has to address the drug problem more completely including treatment for those who are addicted to these and other drugs. When one is suffering from addiction to any drugs, and particularly the opioid, heroin-like painkillers, it is a huge challenge to both the drug addict and the families of drug addicts to get the person clean and sober again.
Narconon has been effectively treating drug addicts for over 45 years in 50 countries around the world. They have even started to train other drug rehab programs in their drug-free withdrawal methods, in what is termed the “First Step Program.” This program also allows for families to follow guidelines of a regime of withdrawal that can be done at home by anyone that can follow the instructions of the program.
If you need help with drug addiction, contact a Narconon rehab center today. We are here for you.
Resources:
Wall Street Journal “Florida Governor Signs Bill Regulating Pill Mills” June 3, 2011
The New York Times “Florida Shutting Pill Mill Clinics” September 1, 2011.
Are College Students too Comfortable with Prescription Stimulant Abuse?
In a recent article in the Daily Utah Chronicle, author Hannah Jones reports that students are too comfortable with abusing prescription stimulants. She concluded this, citing a 2001 study done by the University of Michigan and Harvard University wherein 10,904 randomly selected college students were polled from 119 four-year colleges.
In this study, prescription stimulant drugs including Adderall, Ritalin and Dexedrine were found to be the second most-used illegal drugs among college students, following only behind marijuana. These prescription stimulants were seen by students as academic performance enhancers, but the physical and sociological risks of using these substances should far overshadow any potential academic gain.
In fact, the illicit use of psycho-stimulants such as those named above were part of the students’ perceived competitive edge while fighting for higher test scores and better grades, as revealed in an undercover college drug raid at Columbia University in 2010. This raid, nicknamed “Operation Ivy League,” found students regularly buying and selling illegal drugs.
Perhaps college students learn this complacent attitude early in life, as the phenomenon of prescribing drugs begins in this country (as well as others) very early in life. In fact, strong prescription stimulants are commonly prescribed to children in this country. In 2007, about 5.4 million children aged 4 to 17 years old were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About two-thirds of those so diagnosed were medicated.
Drugs like Adderall are compounds of different kinds of amphetamines. Ritalin (methylphenidate) is a prescription stimulant that possesses structural similarities to amphetamine, but its pharmacological effects are more similar to those of cocaine.
It seems all too commonplace and accepted that young children are placed on highly addictive drugs such as these. These drugs are extremely dangerous even though millions of children are taking them.
The physical symptoms are quite serious enough, not to mention the legal complications involved. The selling of a prescription to another student or possessing these prescription stimulants without a prescription is illegal. A student who is convicted of illegal possession or distribution of prescription drugs can incur fines of hundreds or even thousands of dollars and a potential felony conviction.
The potential for so much negative impact should overshadow any perceived “test score advantage” that taking such drugs might offer and opinions vary on whether or not the drugs do, in fact, offer any academic advantage. The results of prescription stimulant abuse can include long-term addiction from which is hard to break free.
It isn’t just the college students who are too comfortable with drug use and abuse. Many segments of society are far too accustomed to “popping a pill” to solve any random difficulty they face in life.
The Narconon program has been offering effective drug abuse education, treatment and rehabilitation for more than forty years on six continents of the world. Narconon has effective education and rehab programs in more than 120 locations which offer life-saving results, and it has done so since 1966.
To learn more about the effective program used at Narconon to combat drug and alcohol abuse among college students as well as any other segment of the population, please read: http://www.narconon-news.org/program/narconon-alcohol-drug-treatment.html.
Deaths by Prescription Drug Overdoses Triple in Last Decade
According to a 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, the number of people dying from overdoses of powerful opioid pain relievers tripled in just the past decade.
Opioids are pain relief drugs that are chemically similar to opium.
These opioid deaths are just part of a larger epidemic of drug overdose deaths. In 2008, more than 36,000 people lost their lives from prescription drug overdoses. Close to 15,000 of these involved one of these opioid pain reliever (OPR) such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Lortab or methadone. That’s more than three times the number who died in 1999.
Every year, there are more of these drugs in distribution as doctors write more and more prescriptions for these addictive pills.
The CDC report also revealed that in 2009, 1.2 million emergency department (ED) visits were related to misuse or abuse of pharmaceuticals, compared with 1.0 million ED visits related to use of illicit drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
OPRs now account for more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined. OPRs frequently are diverted for non-medical use by patients or their friends or sold on the street. According to national surveys, an estimated 4.8% of the U.S. population aged 12 or older used an OPR non-medically in 2010.
If you wonder why the cost of health insurance is skyrocketing, another study estimated that non-medical use of OPR costs insurance companies up to $72.5 billion annually in health-care costs.
Such painkillers “are meant to help people who have severe pain,” said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC. “They are, however, highly addictive.”
Abuse figures vary greatly on a state by state basis, with the highest rate of abuse in Oklahoma and the lowest in Nebraska and Iowa. Across the country, an estimated 418,000 twelve and thirteen-year-old children abused one of the OPRs. That statistic took a ten percent jump in just one year.
Dr. Frieden said that the overdose deaths reflect the increase in the number of narcotic painkillers that are being prescribed. Every year, enough pills are prescribed to keep every American dosed up around the clock for one full month.
In order to help prevent drug abuse, Narconon takes significant measures to form community coalitions and educate other community groups on how to help get drugs out of our communities. To find out more about what Narconon is doing to effectively educate our youth, form alliances that work, and more about Narconon objectives and its effective drug prevention and rehabilitation programs, please read the following article: http://www.narconon-news.org/narconon/taking-drugs-out-of-the-communities.html.
CDC. WONDER [Database]. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2010. Available at http://wonder.cdc.gov. Accessed September 27, 2011.
Warner M, Chen L, Makuc D. Increase in fatal poisonings involving opioid analgesics in the United States, 1999–2006. NCHS Data Brief. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2009. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db22.htm. Accessed October 3, 2011.
Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Prescription for peril: how insurance fraud finances theft and abuse of addictive prescription drugs. Washington, DC: Coalition Against Insurance Fraud; 2007. Available at http://www.insurancefraud.org/downloads/drugDiversion.pdf ??. Accessed September 26, 2011.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: volume 1: summary of national findings. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Applied Studies; 2010. Available at http://oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh/2k9nsduh/2k9resultsp.pdf. Accessed October 3, 2011
Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Prescription for peril: how insurance fraud finances theft and abuse of addictive prescription drugs. Washington, DC: Coalition Against Insurance Fraud; 2007. Available at http://www.insurancefraud.org/downloads/drugDiversion.pdf. Accessed September 26, 2011.
Narconon Spokesperson Asks “What is Our Wish for Our Young Adults? Probably Not Abusing Prescription Pain Relievers!”
What would we want for our young adults? As future business owners, legislators and professors, they should be completing their educations, starting their careers, and giving the next generation its start.
Unfortunately, too many are getting their plans for the future derailed by prescription pain reliever abuse and addiction. As an example of one of the prescription pain relievers seeing the most growth, OxyContin was introduced to the United States in 1996. In 1998, only 1.5 percent of all drug addiction treatment admissions for those between 18 and 24 were for prescription pain relievers.
Some very effective marketing for OxyContin followed and prescription numbers began to skyrocket. By 2008, US sales of OxyContin alone topped $2.5 BILLION. And by 2008, treatment admissions for pain reliever addiction in the 18 to 24 age bracket hit 13.7 percent of all drug rehab admissions. The percentage of admissions for those between 25 and 34 increased from 2.1 percent to 13.5 percent over the same ten years.
“When it comes to abuse of prescription pain relievers, the only protection is a good education on drugs,” stated Bobby Wiggins, spokesperson for Narconon. Narconon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and education. “The person trying to sell you an 80 milligram OxyContin tablet is not going to warn you that the drug is addictive. And Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of OxyContin is certainly not going to make this plainly known.”
When Purdue Pharmaceuticals was fined more than $630 million dollars in 2007, the US Attorney’s Office charged them with failing “to adequately warn consumers of the risks,” particularly the risk of addiction. But by 2007, it was too late for many people who had already become addicted or even overdosed on “Oxys.” Many other people will never read or hear about this charge and will make the very common assumption that “if a doctor prescribes OxyContin, it cannot be harmful.” Tragically, this will be a fatal assumption for some people. For others, it will rob them of their plans and goals, their families and perhaps even their freedom, if they are unlucky enough to become addicted and lose it all.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxycodone
OxyContin or its generic version oxycodone is not the only prescription pain relief drug addicting our young adults. The list is long. By their generic names, the list includes: codeine, fentanyl (calculated to be at least 50 times stronger than heroin), hydromorphone, meperidine, morphine, pentazocine, dextropropoxyphene, methadone (used both for opiate addiction treatment as well as pain relief), and hydrocodone combinations sold as Vicodin, Lortab and Lorcet. All opiates create euphoric effects when abused by crushing and snorting, injecting or smoking.
- http://www.justice.gov/dea/concern/18862/ndic_2010.pdf
Most of those who succumb to prescription drug abuse are abusing more than one drug at a time and are not the holders of a legitimate prescription for the drug or drugs that killed them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found this in a statistical analysis of those who died of prescription drug overdoses in West Virginia in 2006.
More than 79 percent of these people actually had multiple substances in their bodies at the time of death. These multiple substances included other prescription drugs, alcohol and/or illicit drugs. The same analysis showed that 63 percent had no prescription for the drugs they were abusing.
Naturally enough, deaths follow the increase in prescriptions being issued and admissions to drug addiction treatment. The number of people dying due to unintentional opioid overdoses increased from 5,547 in 2002 to 11,001 in 2006, a 98 percent increase.
“Without sufficient education on the risks of abusing prescription drugs, young and old alike are taking their lives in their hands when they snort or shoot oxycodone, hydrocodone or any of these drugs,” stated Wiggins.
“That’s why Narconon drug and alcohol rehab centers around the world offer drug education classes to schools, civic groups and corporations, wherever young and career-minded people gather. “Addiction must be treated on both fronts: rehabilitating the addicted individual and preventing the young from using or abusing substances that might result in addiction. With both lines of attack at work, we intend to achieve a drug-free future for all.” Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and Narconon drug education groups operate from major cities on every continent.
For more information about the Narconon drug rehabilitation and education program, contact us by phone or email.
Narconon Spokesperson Issues Urgent Warning: New York City Becoming Inundated with Opioid Prescription Drugs
A new report paints a very grim picture of the escalation of prescription drug consumption in New York City. Narconon Spokesperson Bobby Wiggins of Narconon International warned that increases in New York City serve as a harbinger for effects that are rolling out across the rest of the country. Narconon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and education.
In March 2011, Bridget Brennan, New York’s special narcotics prosecutor, testified that prescriptions for oxycodone doubled in the city over the past three years. Ms. Brennan defined the problem with a frankness seldom seen: “The public flat out needs to be better informed about how widespread the problem is and how dangerously addictive these substances are. It’s pure opium. And that’s an addictive drug.”
In 2007, 500,000 prescriptions for OxyContin and its generic form oxycodone were filled in the five boroughs of New York City. By 2010, the number had jumped to more than one million. This means one prescription for one of every eight people, or 13 percent of the population.
But in Staten Island, there were enough prescriptions for this addictive painkiller issued to supply 28 percent of the borough’s population. Add hydrocodone, another popular opioid painkiller, and the supply increases to 33 percent.
In Brooklyn and the Bronx, oxycodone prescriptions increased 116 percent and 120 percent, respectively, between 2007 and 2010.
In a 2010 visit to a New York City drug rehabilitation center serving US military veterans, Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske noted that one in eight active duty military personnel are also current users of illicit drugs, primarily prescription drugs.
- http://www.vosizneias.com/78820/2011/03/16/new-york-ny-1-in-8-new-yorkers-is-on-oxy-pain-killers
- http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/news/press10/111010.html
High Drug Crime Numbers Follow High Prescription Numbers
How many of these prescriptions wind up in the illicit market? There is no way to know. But one index may be found in a similar increase in drug crime and emergency room visits.
Drug Crime: In these same three years, the special prosecutor’s caseload of prescription drug arrests constituted just 6 percent of her total workload. By 2010, the proportion of the caseload devoted to this type of arrest more than doubled, arriving at 15 percent. Ms. Brennan noted the high levels of violence that accompanies the black market sale of prescription drugs.
Every year, about 80,000 people with drug or alcohol problems leave New York City jails and return to the community or the streets. Few received any drug recovery treatment while they were in jail. Without any substantive help, they are likely to re-offend, return to drug or alcohol abuse and possibly return to jail.
Emergency Room visits: In New York City, for every 100,000 people, more than 150 of them will visit an emergency room for abuse or misuse of pharmaceutical drugs. Add to this another 62 who consumed alcohol along with their pharmaceutical drugs, another 39 who added an illicit drug and 32 who abused both prescription and illicit drugs together.
Of these ER visits, thirty were for opiates/opioids and of these, nearly 12 per 100,000 people in New York City visited an ER for abuse or misuse of oxycodone. With more than eight million people in the city, this brings the total number of visits to almost 1,000 per year for oxycodone alone .
- http://www.samhsa.gov/statesinbrief/CityReports/7401_MetroReports_NewYorkCity_NY.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16739041
“When you have a situation spiraling out of control like this,” stated Wiggins, “one component of the solution must be effective drug rehabilitation programs like the one administered at Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers around the world. In more than 120 Narconon drug rehab centers, the Narconon drug recovery program results in seven out of ten graduates returning home knowing how to stay clean and sober.”
Contact us immediately if you know someone who has a problem with drug addiction. Our drug rehabilitation counselors are always on standby to help.
Narconon Spokesperson Reports: Appalachian Region Hard Hit by Ruthless Prescription Drug “Cartels”
Sometimes there are statistics that just take your breath away. Like this one: “Law enforcement officers estimate that 90 percent of all property crimes committed in Cabell, Lincoln, and Wayne Counties, West Virginia, stem from OxyContin abuse.” That statistic illustrates the pain and problems existing in Appalachia due to the prevalence of prescription drug abuse throughout the area.
http://www.justice.gov/ndic/pubs40/40380/drugover.htm
The Appalachian mountains stretch, depending on who is describing them, from Maine to Central Georgia, and from Eastern Ohio to the Coastal Plains. The core of the Appalachians is generally considered to be Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia and these areas bear the brunt of the prescription drug abuse problem. But outlying Appalachian areas are just as hard hit in many cases.
Like Scioto Country in Eastern Ohio. Few families escape the curse of having at least one of their members addicted to prescription opioids. Sometimes more than one, as in the case of the Mannering family, who lost one daughter to a drug-related murder and a son to prison on drug charges.
Narconon spokesperson Bobby Wiggins commented, “Drug dealers bringing prescription pain killers into this area are essentially predators, seeing an opportunity to reap huge profits for very little risk when they can find a corrupt medical professional to dispense the drugs. The ones who suffer most are the families at the distribution end of the supply chain.” Narconon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and education.
Babies Tested Positive for Drugs
In Scioto County, nearly one in ten newborn babies tests positive for drugs. Fatal overdoses have quadrupled in the last ten years and surpassed traffic accidents as the leading cause of accidental death in 2007.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/us/20drugs.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1
One report stated that the Appalachian region of Kentucky experienced drug-related deaths at four times the rate of the rest of the state. And a law enforcement officer commented that more people in Ohio died in 2008 and 2009 of overdoses than died in the World Trade Center attack in 2001.
http://www.reachoflouisville.com/SIG/Appalachia.pdf
One of the oddities of the drug abuse in the area is that much of the illicit prescription drug supply comes from other states, particularly Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania or Ohio.
South Florida has been a particular problem for Kentucky law enforcements for years. Individuals board planes in Kentucky, visit pain clinics in South Florida and return with hundreds of pills to dispense for a dollar a milligram or more when it’s OxyContin.
In March 2011, Dr. Michael Shook pleaded guilty to illegally distributing 25,000 doses of OxyContin and methadone from the Lauderhill Medical Clinic in Oakland Park, Florida, to Kentuckians who made the trip south. Conveniently, his clinic even had an on-site pharmacy.
By late 2008 and all of 2009, 90 percent of the Lauderhill Medical Clinic’s patients were from Kentucky. For $6,000 a week, this doctor performed limited or no exams and prescribed addictive narcotics that were taken back to Kentucky for illicit sale. Some of the same patients also visited former doctors Randy Weiss of Philadelphia and Lloyd Naramore in Ohio for more supplies. Dr. Shook faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and the lingering knowledge that he supplied the drugs that could have caused hundreds of overdose deaths far from home.
http://www.justice.gov/usao/kye/press/march/shook_michael_sent.html
In 2009, the number of people traveling to Philadelphia and Ohio for illicit supplies of narcotics skyrocketed. In just four month’s time, the number of people visiting out of state pain clinics on a regular basis increased from 10 to an astonishing 140. In one clinic in Philadelphia, Dr. Timothy Hall managed to dispense 200,000 pills before being caught. In some areas, so many people are involved in these drug trafficking rings that they are now being referred to as cartels.
http://www.facesofdrugabuse.net/documents/2011-conference/presentations/6-prescriptions-addressing-the-epidemic.pdf.
http://www.claiborneprogress.net/view/full_story/10677996/article-%E2%80%9CPill-Mill%E2%80%9D-dismantled
The potential profitability of this type of drug ring is staggering. Each supply of 180 OxyContins can score the drug dealer between $14,000 and $18,000 once the drugs are sold.
Fighting Drug Addiction
“At Narconon centers around the world, we are fighting the drug abuse and addiction problem with our successful in-patient drug recovery programs and our proven drug education curriculum,” added Wiggins. “We will continue to support families who wish to rescue their loved ones from drug addiction with our long-term residential drug rehab program and educate young people and employees on the real dangers associated with substance abuse.”
Narconon drug rehabilitation services and drug education classes are available at more than 120 centers on six continents.
Don’t hesitate to reach out for help if you know someone suffering from drug addiction. Our drug rehab counselors are here to help.
Withdrawal from OxyContin: How Bad is it?
How bad is it when an addict tries to stop taking OxyContin? If you do an internet search for “OxyContin withdrawal symptoms,” you’ll find a list like this: Muscle aches, yawning, sweating, insomnia, agitation, anxiety, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting.
- http://www.drexelmed.edu/home/HealthEncyclopediaArticles/DiseasesandConditions/Opiatewithdrawal.html
None of them are pleasant but it doesn’t sound that bad. But does that represent the real picture? And if it doesn’t, how can you find out what it’s really like?
A little-known secret is that support groups and chat rooms for people going through the same illness or drug problem are places where you can get the dirty secrets of what an illness, addiction withdrawal or medical treatment is REALLY like. The people writing comments on those boards are the ones living the problems, not the doctors who want to sell their medical treatments or drug rehab programs.
So what kinds of withdrawal experiences are OxyContin addicts describing on these sites? They are graphic and utterly miserable. Here are a few excerpts from their stories.
“I stopped taking them and got extremely nauseated. I was sweating heavily then going through hot and then cold flashes. I could not control the coughing or yawning. I couldn’t sleep, my heart was beating fast and I was so depressed, I seriously contemplated suicide just so I would not feel so awful.”
“My withdrawal was hot and cold sweats, leg cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. It was pure hell. It lasted for two or three weeks of no sleep.”
“There was no sleep for me for almost ten full days. All my bones ached severely. I couldn’t ever sit still. I had a lot of back pain and headaches. I would have done just about anything to get the medication back.”
“It’s like the worst flu ever. You sweat and vomit, can’t control your bowels. You shake and just wish you would die.”
- Statements adapted from the postings on www.oxyabusekills.com/stories.html.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that withdrawal from OxyContin and other opiates can be far better than this, if the withdrawal is done at a Narconon drug and and alcohol rehabilitation center.
Every drug rehabilitation starts with withdrawal, but the Narconon staff go to great lengths and have unique procedures for making the process as comfortable as possible. Because most addicts have been neglecting their health, the Narconon drug withdrawal step starts with getting lots of good food, vitamins designed specifically for drug detoxification, and calcium-magnesium drinks into the recovering person.
The nutrition is followed by one-on-one walks with staff and “assists,” gentle physical and mental re-orientation and relaxation processes that help calm the mind and the body of the recovering addict.
The effect of all these steps, repeated over and over again throughout the day, is that the severe discomfort of opiate and opioid withdrawal is toned down to a tolerable process for most people.
“The difference is so great for some people,” stated Bobby Wiggins, spokesperson for the international offices of Narconon, “that some addicts think they may have somehow skipped withdrawal entirely. But they didn’t. It’s just that this process is effective in making withdrawal something that can be faced. It no longer has to be a barrier to recovery for someone who is desperate to get clean and sober again.
“Some people realize that if they can get through withdrawal this successfully, that there is something special about the Narconon drug rehabilitation program, and that they truly have a shot at lasting sobriety by graduating from this program,” Wiggins added. “A person who wants their life back can have it by doing the Narconon drug recovery program.” There are more than 120 Narconon centers around the world, dedicated to eliminating substance abuse and drug addiction through effective rehabilitation and drug education.
Give us a call if you need help with drug addiction or to get more information about the Narconon drug rehabilitation program. Our counselors are here to assist youl.
Addictive Prescription Drugs Constitute a “Growth Industry,” Warns Narconon Spokesperson
As prescription drug abuse and overdoses hit new highs among Americans, the Office of National Drug Control Policy has just announced its new strategy to bring these numbers down. While some illicit drugs like cocaine have lessened in popularity, prescription drug abuse has been increasing. In evidence of the growing popularity of these drugs to abusers, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that nearly one third of the people who abused drugs for the first time in 2009 chose prescription drugs to abuse. Overdoses have increased five-fold since 1990. And for the first time, deaths from prescription drug misuse have exceeded deaths from gunshot wounds and, in many states, deaths from traffic accidents.
- http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/rx_abuse_plan.pdf
- http://ofsubstance.gov/blogs/pushing_back/archive/2011/02/22/51827.aspx
“While this kind of drug abuse is a ‘growth industry’ so to speak, it’s not the kind of growth that benefits your citizens,” commented Bobby Wiggins, the director of Narconon for drug education. Narconon is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the elimination of substance abuse and addiction through effective drug rehabilitation and drug education. “We commend the ONDCP and the Food and Drug Administration for taking action to increase awareness of the problems resulting from reckless prescribing or from just letting unused drugs sit in the family medicine chest.”
As Drug czar Gil Kerlikowske announced the strategy on April 19, 2011, he said that by and large, Americans are ignorant of the fact “that what’s inside the medicine cabinet can kill.” In particular, teenagers are susceptible to abuse and addiction because they may consider medications prescribed by the family doctor safer to abuse than street drugs. And when the family fails to safely dispose of old prescriptions, it can be easy for a young person to get the drugs he wants out of the medicine chest.
Part of the strategy included requiring manufacturers of extended-release and long-acting opioid medications to help mitigate the inherent risks of these drugs by financing education for doctors on proper pain management, patient screening and to ensure that patients use the drug as prescribed.
Some opioid addicts started out using these drugs for a legitimate medical need. As the body builds tolerance, patients feel they need more of the drug to keep the aches and pains away so they may abuse the drug and finish their prescription. After the patient finishes the prescribed dosage, the Dr. may simply cut the person off, sending this now-addicted person into illicit use. An addict may get desperate enough to harm someone to get the drugs he feels he needs. Also, he or she may resort to illicit drugs as a substitute. Doctor-shopping, prescription fraud or theft may provide the addicted person with the prescription medications they feel they need to be able to function normally.
The medications frequently abused by opioid addicts are: hydromorphone (marketed as Dilaudid, among other names), oxycodone (ingredient of OxyContin), morphine, oxymorphone (brand named Opana and others), methadone, and fentanyl (a synthetic opioid 50 to 80 times stronger than heroin).
“It’s vital to plan for drug prevention through education and drug recovery through effective drug rehabilitation at the same time that you get these prescription drugs off the street. People who are already addicted must have somewhere to turn,” Wiggins concluded.
Admissions at Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers across the U.S. have been seeing increasing numbers of admissions to treatment due to prescription drug abuse. In some centers, half of the addicts entering treatment are recovering from prescription drug addiction. But no matter what the substance of abuse is when a person enters rehab, the Narconon program still results in seven out of ten graduates remaining sober after they return home.
Narconon Spokesperson Questions Advisability of “Rapid Detox” Services for Opiate Addicts
It may sound like a miracle. An opiate addict can be anesthetized and wake up several hours later on the other side of withdrawal pain and discomfort. Is it really that easy? And is that the only way to experience a tolerable withdrawal?
Withdrawal from opiates can be daunting enough to prevent addicts from entering treatment. Those in withdrawal from opiates and opioid drugs usually experience deep muscle and bone pain, agitation, insomnia and anxiety. They may also go through painful abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and nausea. In most cases, opiate withdrawal usually lasts for three to fourteen days or even longer. http://www.hsc.mb.ca/addictions/Media/Opiate%20Withdrawal.pdf
One solution is to treat the symptoms of withdrawal with other drugs such as sedatives to reduce anxiety. Another solution is the medical service referred to as “rapid detox.” This involves placing the addict under general anesthesia and then injecting him or her with Naltrexone or other drugs which block the action of opiates on the body. At the very least, it is expected that the addicted person will be unconscious during the worst of the withdrawal process. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000949.htm
Some drug rehabilitation centers administering this treatment place the addict under a general anesthesia for four to six hours. A few advertize an ultra-rapid detox of just an hour. Others take as long as eight hours. While the person is unconscious, they receive large dosages of Naltrexone and/or other drugs.
Facilities that administer this treatment promote its safety and claim that they can compress the equivalent of eight days of withdrawal into one eight-hour period of anesthesia. But this isn’t what the National Institutes of Health (NIH) say.
The NIH states that there is no evidence that these programs actually reduce the amount of time spent in withdrawal and that there have been several deaths associated with the procedure. Additionally, any time a person is under general anesthesia, there is a risk to his or her life. The longer the anesthetized period, the greater the risk.
The NIH also states that the procedure is unproven and so the fact that it presents a risk of death significantly outweighs any potential and unproven benefit of the service. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000949.htm
On top of that, there’s the cost which can run as high as $13,000 for three days of treatment and monitoring after the anesthesia wears off. Plus, once the rapid detox is done, the person still needs to recover from the psychological addiction and change his or her lifestyle and ability to make drug-free decisions.
On top of the harm that might be done by the opiate the addict has been taking, Naltrexone has its own list of grim side effects. In this case, the side effects reported include: anxiety; appetite loss; chills; constipation; diarrhea; dizziness; depression; headache; joint and muscle pain; low energy; nausea; nervousness; sleeplessness; stomach pain and cramps and vomiting. Isn’t it interesting to note that many of these are the same symptoms of withdrawal from other opiates?
But it gets worse. Adverse effects of Naltrexone can also include severe allergic reactions with hives, itching and difficulty breathing; confusion; hallucinations; severe vomiting and diarrhea; and suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Liver damage can result from large dosages of the drug. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000853/. http://www.drugs.com/sfx/naltrexone-side-effects.html
Then there is this very simple question – “For a person addicted to drugs, how does it empower him or the resposible party in his life to get him through withdrawal under anaesthesia?”
The question is, “Is there any humane alternative?” Narconon spokesperson Bobby Wiggins had one to offer. “At the Narconon drug rehabilitation centers, we have developed a way to make withdrawal far more tolerable by using nutritional support and one-on-one care by our staff,” he said. “Addicts normally arrive at a drug rehab after a long period of neglect of their health. Add to that the fact that drugs rob the body of nutrients like the B vitamins and vitamin C. We have found that the administration of nutritional supplements specifically designed for those in drug recovery greatly eases the impact of withdrawal.”
Added to this is a liquid calcium-magnesium drink that calms muscle spasms and tends to reduce anxiety. And Narconon staff work continuously with each recovering addict to perform “assists,” gentle physical and mental relaxation exercises that help reorient the recovering addict and help ease him or her through the effects of withdrawal.
“The result is an experience that is tolerable and confrontable and which gives many recovering addicts new hope that this time, they can succeed because they have been participating right from the begining”, Wiggins added.
Call us to get more information about the Narconon Drug Treatment program. Our counselors are ready to assist you.
narconon-news.org
Florida Continues to Provide Southeast States with Prescription Narcotics Likely Due to Inactive Prescription Monitoring Program
As one state after another implemented monitoring programs that enabled them to crack down on prescription fraud, Florida passed legislation that would enact a similar law – but then in March 2011, it approved a move to cancel implementation of the law.
Over the years, Florida has gained a reputation as the destination for drug dealers from other states who want to fraudulently obtain prescription narcotics for illicit sale. In particular, dealers from Tennessee, Kentucky and other southern states have established veritable trade routes to and from Florida so they can supply addicts in their home states. But despite its role in these illicit activities, Florida seemed to drag its feet in enacting legislation. By the time Florida passed its bill (that was then canceled), only one state – Missouri – had not enacted similar laws.
More Prescription Drug Deaths Than Traffic Accident Deaths
Narconon spokesperson Bobby Wiggins explained, “Governor Scott felt that this law would only provide some tracking of prescriptions, might violate privacy and would not strike at the heart of the problem. Still, Florida legislators must address the real problems rapidly or bear responsibility for any prescription drug deaths that occur as a result of drugs improperly dispensed in Florida in the meantime.” In Kentucky, for example, one of the states receiving many of Florida’s illicit prescriptions, prescription drug deaths rose from 403 in 2000 to 973 by 2009. More people now die in Kentucky due to prescription drug abuse than traffic accidents.
National Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowsi appealed to Florida legislators not to kill the bill. He appeared in Kentucky even as the Florida legislation was dying. During that visit, he dubbed Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee as “ground zero” for prescription drug abuse.
“Whether legislation catches up with the problem or not, what remains is that those who have become addicted to prescription drugs or any addictive substance need help to leave that addiction behind,” added Wiggins. “For more than forty years, Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers around the world have been enabling addicts to start living clean and sober lives again.”
Call and speak to one our drug rehab counselors for more information about the Narconon drug rehab program.
Resources:
- http://drugcontrol.flgov.com/pdmp/about.html
- http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/florida-house-committee-votes-to-kill-drug-monitoring-database/1156413
- http://www.marconews.com/news/2011/mar/16/9-sentenced-SW-Fla-prescription-drug-fraud-ring/
- http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110223/ZONE10/302240028/Officials-Florida-plan-scrap-drug-monitoring-may-cost-lives-Kentucky
