Hernando Today
Popping Pills For Pleasure
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Published: March 23, 2008
Drugs have been a part of American culture since the days a sprinkle of cocaine put the kick in carbonated soda.
Each generation, it seems, has its narcotic of choice: the opiates of the Roarin' 20s; cocaine at the height of disco fever; heroin in the age of MTV.
But there's been a shift.
Today's popular drug doesn't come from the humid jungles of Colombia or a poppy field in Afghanistan.
It's in your medicine cabinet.
Prescription pills are an attractive recreational drug for a variety of reasons. High on the list is that the drugs are legal. Acquiring a doctor's signature is much easier than smuggling narcotics across the border.
Another draw is the quality control. Ingesting pills made by a nationally recognized company in a sterile laboratory is considerably safer than methamphetamine cooked in a crusty bathtub.
But do they deliver the same high?
Sources have told an undercover narcotics detective that crushing up and injecting oxycodone delivers three times the effect of heroin.
That same sheriff's detective, who cannot be named for security reasons, believes the growth in pain clinics has a lot to do with the jump in prescription pill abuse.
"It's becoming an epidemic more and more," he said.
About The Pills
The most commonly abused pills fall into three categories: The painkillers called opioids, which include OxyContin and Vicodin; the depressants such as Xanax that treat anxiety; and the stimulants, including Ritalin.
In 2006, seven million Americans, or 2.8 percent of the population, used these pills for non-medical purposes, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse.
To get a better idea on the damaging effects of prescription pill abuse, consider figures from the Florida medical examiner's interim report for 2007.
Excluding alcohol, prescription drugs accounted for 69 percent of all drug occurrences. Deaths by Oxycodone and Hydrocodone increased 9.5 percent and 8.1 percent, respectively, during the first half of 2007.
Pharmacies On Guard
Like any other drug, a wave of crime follows behind prescription pill abuse. But these addicts can bypass purse snatchings and home burglaries to go straight for the source: pharmacies.
"That's what causes violence, the withdrawal," the detective said. "They have a craving and they need to feed that addiction."
Investigators are still on the case of two pharmacies that were held up within two hours of each other on Tuesday. The robberies are not considered linked at this time.
Consequently, pharmacists are feeling the pressure to watch their backs and tighten up security in their stores. Two local pharmacies didn't want to comment for this article for fear of being targeted.
Pharmacist Chirag Amin has installed cameras, shutters and other measures to deter any would be robbers at Cortez Drugs.
"You just have to bump it up," he said. "There's no doubt about it."
The pharmacy only fills prescriptions from the four to five local doctors they recognize in an effort to deter fraud. Everyone else is turned away.
Ken Norfleet, owner of Sunshine Wellness Center, said the risk of robbery is nothing new and comes with the territory.
"We've always been targeted," he said of pharmacies. "But you can't let that dominate you."
Still, his business is not taking any risks. Starting three to four years ago, phony prescriptions began crossing the counter. Now prescriptions from out-of-town doctors prompt a call to make sure it's legit.
Legitimate Needs Overshadowed
All the hype surrounding the surge in abuse overshadows legitimate people in need, says Dr. Scott Fishman, president and chairman of the American Pain Foundation.
New studies show that many Americans are under-treated for pain and the blame falls on both doctors and patients.
Patients are scared to mention they need medication because they think their doctor will suspect they are a junkie. The stigma surrounding prescription pills is that everyone will be hooked if they start taking them and that's "far from the truth," Fishman said.
On the other hand, doctors hesitate to prescribe pills for fear federal investigators will come knocking on their door.
"We have a problem that is soaring," Fishman said.
What needs to be recognized, in Fishman's opinion, is that pain can become a chronic disease every bit as damaging as cancer or heart disease.
There are patients who have legitimate medical concerns with reason to use controlled substances. Those medications should be kept safe and not abused, he said.
Cooperation Is The Key
It's unclear when dealers wised up to the lucrative market in pills, but some say as far back as 10 years, with the brunt of the surge coming five years later.
There are two classes of addicts: people who intentionally set out to abuse them and others who become hooked through genuine means.
The sheriff's detective encounters people who have built up a tolerance and begin popping up to 14 pills a day. They're like functioning alcoholics, he said, that consume massive quantities of alcohol without showing any effects.
By his estimates, it's about evenly split between druggies and folks caught up in an addiction. The average user is between 20 and 30 years old, he says.
But the National Institute of Drug Abuse has also found that 9.6 percent of 12th-graders reported the use of Vicodin and 5.2 percent abused Oxycontin in 2007.
Dr. Fishman said the data is unclear about the source of the pills, but most indications are that it's from robberies and warehouse break-ins - not doctors.
The fight to curb this new trend is done through networking with other agencies and communicating with pharmacies.
Often people will float from Pasco to Hernando counties with phony prescriptions, so the narcotics deputies from those agencies alert each other about suspicious activity.
What would be really great, the detective said, is if there was a central database that the pharmacies could reference if there were red flags on a suspect.
A cooperative effort is the key to busting this, the detective said.
"You can't really take it on yourself."
Reporter Kyle Martin can be reached at 352-544-5271 or kmartin@hernandotoday.com.
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Reader Comments
Posted by ( MAMAorg ) on March 23, 2008 at 8:01 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
This is a bigger problem then most can even imagine.Methadone is currently the #1 killer of prescription narcotics and thousands are dying yearly. These deaths come from clinics, pain management and diversion from both sources. There are many misconceptions of this drug on it's safety and praise as being the wonder drug which has led the the increasing numbers of victims. No one is safe from becoming Methadones next victim as you can die from a single small dose and nothing else. Pro- methadone advocates will make many statements that are most often extremely false. It is almost impossible to predetermine who will survive and who will die from consuming this drug, many variations of victims have occurred. Often these deaths happened while under a doctors care and monitoring. Prescription drug misuse, abuse and deaths are at an epidemic in this country and nothing is being done. These are not drugs that are smuggled across our borders but are manufactured and distributed legally. One of the largest sources of availability is from crooked doctors who are nothing more then an educated drug dealers, legally being allowed to over prescribe massive amounts of these lethal drugs. The street corner drug dealer has changed his clothes, he now wears a white coat or suit and tie.
Mothers Against Medical Abuse. Org
Helping to Stop Rx, Methadone Deaths and Abuse.
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Posted by ( wantadoitsoon ) on March 23, 2008 at 10:08 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
at least the money is staying in the states.....people are going to do drugs...
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Posted by ( MethadoneSupport ) on March 23, 2008 at 11:22 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I agree with Dr. Fishman! As the founder and director of an organization that supports Medication Assisted Treatment, from substance abuse to chronic pain, I am in the unique position of hearing from THOUSANDS of people weekly who are now living "normal" lives because of their medication. I am in pain management myself and the thought that a medication that changed my life might be stopped...or restricted to death....is HORRIFYING to me. I receive 100's of emails each and everyday....and awhile back I got an email from a lady that is 50 years old and has taken methadone for 9 years...in pain management. She is dealing with cancer and has 3 more surgeries to look forward to JUST this year...sigh. At her last appointment, her Dr. asked her to start thinking about possibly changing her RX to Morphine. She is TERRIFIED...she has tried EVERY narcotic out there and the ONLY one that has helped her live a somewhat normal life has been the methadone. She asks me, "if it's not broken, why fix it?!" I told her that if not for the present hysteria, more than likely her Dr. wouldn't even have mentioned it.
This article is NOT about Methadone, but because of another comment, I would like to add this....
Methadone is NOT the "#1 killer of all RX narcotics in the US"....that is baloney. And yes...one DOES have to pretty much abuse it to have it kill you. AGAIN...because of what I do... I hear from thousands of very grateful methadone patients...who thanks to this medication are now living very productive and "normal" lives. Not just living...but THRIVING. So I see DAILY the impact this medication has. Quite simply, Methadone SAVES lives.
Thanks and if you'd like more info or need support...drop by our website!....Carol
http://www.MethadoneSupport.org
Support Forums:
http://www.MethadoneSupport.org/forum.html
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Posted by ( swtswtsgr21 ) on March 23, 2008 at 11:47 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
I am 25 yrs old and can tell you first hand how bad this problem is in Hernando county, really anywhere right now. And yes it does seem that each generation has a drug of choice. Unforunately the pills seem to be my generation. I am completely against any use or misuse of pain pills. I struggled with this battle for almost 4 yrs out of 6 with my fiancee before the pills won the fight. But its not just the addiction that is the problem, it is also the lifestyle that comes with it. I watched him become so addicted to the selling, trading, swapping, taking and even snorting them at the end that that was his only interest any longer. The lifestyle that the addiction forms changes so many aspects of the person's personalitity and morals when you are addicted bad enough, pretty much at the end of the road where you must make a choice to get help or just let the pills win your life.Not to mention how easy it has become to get any type of medicine off the street. This is the part I don't understand, it is way too easy to find this stuff on the streets or where ever. In my eyes it all comes back to the doctors and well for the Methadone the goverment (they are the ones that had came up with it as a solution of pain management). If the doctors are going to distribute this stuff like its water then they need to be monitoring its use. I have seen so many people get refills a head of time. The sad part of it all is that these people that do have addictions to pills know the system, they know how to get what they want whether it be doctor shopping, cashing a script one place and lieing to the Dr about losing it too then go cash it else where, other patients they meet. Alot of people in the pain management offices socialize for that fact its self exspecially if there selling it on the streets. Being in the mix of it all for those years I did learn alot but in the end I did not gain anything but a loss of my true love, best friend and a very good hearted person.
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Posted by ( MethadoneSavesLives ) on March 25, 2008 at 4:59 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
I agree with Dr.Fishman, sadly groups like "MAMA" are doing more to perpetuate the stigma surrounding the disease of addiction making it harder for people to admit they need help and with the measures they advocate will only make treatment less available. Their efforts can only result in MORE death. These people aren't interested in saving lives, they're interested in satisfying their own personal and selfish need for vengeance.
I also agree with him when he says "pain can become a chronic disease every bit as damaging as cancer or heart disease." I would only add that addiction can also become a chronic disease just as damaging. The AMA gave formal recognition to the disease of drug addiction in 1956. The disease of addicition is chronic, progressive and terminal. The good news is that it responds to treatment with Methadone treatment THE Number ONE LIFE-SAVER!!!
There is NO reason to insist that methadone related deaths are a growing epidemic. In most of these cases methadone is blamed as the cause of death regardless of what other factors exist. When someone has died from methadone toxicity it is RARELY from a methadone clinic, most come from pain clinics or from Doctors with little experience. Anyone can 'twist' statistics and make them 'appear' to back any claim; there is however no study or report ever cited to back these proposterious claims. The few that do cite any sort of report always point to a study that doesn't differentiate between methadone coming from doctors, pain clinics,treatment clinics or pharmacies making the source questionable; this is because the source is NOT the methadone clinics; but since the methadone clinics, and the patients of those clinics are easy targets and scape-goats, this point will never be clarified or accurately portrayed. Exaggerated statistics are part of their over-all effort to exaggerate the extent of the problem and to enhance their fund raising and legislative lobbying efforts. It's thanks to groups like this and the hysteria they incite, that Doctors continue to "fear federal investigators will come knocking on their door" should they dare treat their patients with care, compassion or the very ideals that they are supposed to embody.
Something else that needs to be addressed is the question of just who the patient is. These groups love to play upon the public fear perpetuating the idea that "addicts" are homeless, mentally ill patients from "somewhere else"; we are professionals, parents, blue collar workers, neighbors and coworkers. Addiction is an equal opportunity disease. Don't let them paint us as sub-human monsters.This is the same thing that neo-nazi hate groups do.
Readers of these articles and the posts that always follow must be cautioned about the fake science, pumped up statistics and misleading rhetoric of these anti-methadone neo-prohibitionist groups. Stricter laws will only make treatment less accessible, and will only result in more lives tragically lost.
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Posted by ( MAMAorg ) on March 25, 2008 at 1:09 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
PART I,
Well, it is obvious who the Methadone users are by the comments they leave and the list of myths they continue to spread. May I suggest that anyone of interest sign up for Methadone alerts through Google or Yahoo and watch the daily news reports of death, crime and the growing epidemic in this country. I often, as you can see, get accused of giving wrong information and that I am only trying to distroy lives. You must remember these words come from people who are receiving a highly addictive drug daily and will attack anyone that they fear may disrupt what has become a security blanket for them. I guess some internet research and years of consuming a drug makes some people experts, but the truth is unfolding in the media, the death tolls continue to rise. I attack the clinics as most of them are misusing what was intended as a crutch to help people overcome a heroin addiction, not make millions to keep addicts on an addictive lifestyle, legally. There are NO pumped up statistics, the numbers are real. In 2007 more people died from Methadone then in five years of deaths to our American soldiers in Iraq, that is a pure FACT. Maybe we just have different definitions of saving lives. To me preventing a death from a lethal and unstable drug that is being marketed under lies and mileading slurs could be called saving lives. To others replacing one drug for another to aid in thier addictive cravings, calling it therapy and staying on it for a lifetime, comparing their illness to cancer patients, saving lives? Well, we just have a different way of looking at what saving a life really is. I am not now or ever will be against an addict receiving quality help as my oldest son suffers from addiction. As a medical professional I am not ignorant to what these drugs do whether they are legally obtained or not. These pro-methadone adovcates need to get a grip, their clinics are still open and they have access to their daily dose. They push their way into communities that do not want these facilities and refuse to listen to the residents.
Mothers Against Medical Abuse. Org
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Posted by ( MAMAorg ) on March 25, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
PART II,
The sub-human monster that I see are the ones who attack innocent family members and accuse their loved one of abusing the so called WONDER DRUG and it was their fault they died. That shows no compassion for peoples losses and only puts a drug on a throne over real facts and they will do what ever it takes to stay in denial. Honesty to me would be, Yes, I am still an active addict as I receive my legal Methadone every day and I admit I am not living a drug free life. Wow, have never heard that one yet instead innocent people who have no clue are being misled and really need to know the real facts. Many older publications were actually biased as they were backed by the drug companies themselves who had a personal agenda, it is called "lets line our pockets with gold". Now, more realistic facts are coming forth, much too late for many lost lives but it is definately upsetting some individuals, the proof is in the writing. Methadone is and will continue to be the most controversial drug in history. Some will continue to refuse to believe that thousands are dying yearly. What does one gain by misleading the people of this country? The true facts are what can really save lives and I am not going away.
Mothers Against Medical Abuse. Org
Helping to Stop Rx, Methadone Deaths and Abuse
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Posted by ( jdnds1025 ) on March 25, 2008 at 4:24 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
The biggest problem is that basically any with a pain or not can walk into a Dr's office and receive a script.I really don't think that this problem will go away until the source is dealt with.
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Posted by ( MethadoneSavesLives ) on March 28, 2008 at 4:19 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
It's clear who speaks from honest experience, and who speaks from prejudice. We are not going away either.
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Posted by ( lynnlo ) on March 28, 2008 at 12:28 p.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yes, its very clear that Methadone use is just another addiction.......I must agree with MAMA and ask MethadoneSavesLives if she has ever been addicted and or on methadone or lost a loved on as in son or daughter from addiction- are you speaking from real experience when you slam groups that work every day to save lives while the Methadone clinics continue to feed the world with more drugs and more addiction....when will it stop?? The key is education and serious rehab with proper treatment. Our leaders need to implement systems that help our people rather than continue to promote the current failed situation. Eventually methadone will go away along with oxy, herion and the rest of the garbage that our society continues to feed our people. What are you going to do with the methadone addicts when their treatment stops for lack of funding?? Just where do they go???
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Posted by ( MAMAorg ) on March 29, 2008 at 12:09 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Yes, MS. Methadonesaveslives, it is obvious you are not going away, not as long as they are dishing out the Methadone to you. I really do not have to do too much, Methadone itself, the media and all the true facts of how lethal this drug can be is doing the work for me. I am only one of many, many groups out there. We are tired of these practices of medical negligence and abuse. I highly support addiction treatment but I DO NOT support people that or facilities that encourage addicts to continue to be addicts. Even you yourself rant on years of use and call it treatment, that is pure denial not prejudice on my part. Actually, how much is your daily dose now? Have you ever imagined what your thoughts might be like if they were truly not influenced by a highly addictive narcotic? Have you ever epxerienced withdrawals from Methadone? Please share with all of us some other factors of your Methadone life. I am very interested in the ladder of your increased Methadone dosing over the years. I have an open mind here.
PS. See you can tell by lynnlo's comment the difference between the users and the non-users, it is so obvious.
Mothers Against Medical Abuse. Org
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Posted by ( flcavediver ) on May 6, 2008 at 11:16 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
As a person who suffered for many years with the disease of opiate addiction and did not "hit bottom", but slammed into it several times. I believe in methadone detox. One of the problems and i'm speaking of methadone clinics specifically is the diversion. A good percentage of those in methadone clinics do not want to detox, but instead want to get more and more and... you get the point. Those who have been a patient at a methadone clinic know what i mean (as i have done that as well). People standing in the parking lot selling, trading, etc... I actually met a person once who was a patient at a methadone clinic, but still went monthly to a pain mgmt. dr. and sold all of his prescribed medication and took the methadone for his pain, but the kicker is social security disability paid for BOTH! This astonished me. Sure there are a lot of statistics out there; 400,000 people die every year from aspirin----look it up. I have chronic pain and suffer from it, but i still work and i also attend several recovery meetings and i finally learned how to deal with my pain after years of abuse. I still see a very reputable pain mgmt. dr., but the BIG difference now is that i have "accountability partners" the main persons being my fiancee and my parents. These loved ones keep track of me and my medications. The main medication i'm prescribed is.....you guessed it methadone and i have break through pain medication as well. I'm now honest about my medication use and i feel great both physically AND mentally. My daily life is no longer consumed by when, where, how many, and how much. I wanted to post a comment that shows success and something positive because methadone should not be seperated; it is an opiate those who overdose and pass away experience the exact same effects as those when a person overdoses on any OPIATE! In closing those who take opiates as prescribed should be just as safe as anyone taking any prescribed medication. Thanks for your time, C
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