Epidemic: Deaths related to prescription painkiller overdoses

Within the past decade, deaths related to prescription painkillers have reached epidemic levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last year, the CDC reported there were enough prescription painkillers prescribed to medicate every American around-the-clock for one month. Unfortunately, these pills end up being used by people who misuse or abuse them.

In Florida, seven people die every day due to lethal doses from illegal, non-medical use of one or more prescription drugs.

Deaths related to prescription painkillers for medical and non-medical uses are higher than deaths related to cocaine and heroine. Prescription painkillers are defined as opioid or narcotic pain relievers, which include oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxymorphone (Opana), and methadone

In October, after an 18-month investigation, a raid of a pain management clinic in Spring Hill resulted in two arrests.

In 2010 Hernando County reported 44 deaths caused by prescription drugs, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis described how prescription medication-related crimes seem to be getting more frequent and more violent. "The abuse of prescription medication has become an epidemic that cannot be ignored."

"Many suspects who are taken into custody admit to committing crimes in order to obtain money to support their drug addiction," said Nienhuis.

Law enforcement agencies throughout the country are investigating more and more accidental overdoses related to prescription pills, he added.

Pill mills are commonly associated with prescription-drug trafficking. Unfortunately, Florida has rapidly become the nation's leading state for easy access of prescription pain killers.

Law enforcement personnel use the term 'Pillbillies' to refer to prescription drug dealers or addicts who travel to Florida to get their drugs for use or resale back in their home states.

According to a published report from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Florida is the state listed on the applications of half of the nation's new pharmacies. DEA officials advised they would not be surprised if these entities could be tied to pill mills and other so-called medical practices.

It is estimated one pill costing only a few dollars here can be sold for more than ten times that amount in other states.

On average, patients are charged $250 per visit, resulting in pill mills potentially earning $25,000 in one day or $1 million a year. Charging "patients" per visit makes it very lucrative, enticing health professionals to engage in these illegal operations.

Recently, Gov. Rick Scott signed an anti-pill-mill bill to toughen penalties against healthcare professionals who illegally prescribe medications.

In Hernando County during 2007 to 2008, emergency room visits doubled for prescription drug overdoses, according to the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA).

Newborns going through withdrawal due to addicted mothers nearly tripled in Hernando County from 2008 to 2010, the AHCA reported.

Dr. Mary Newport, medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for Spring Hill Regional Hospital recently commented in a USA Today article regarding loopholes for pain clinics and surges in applicants for pharmacies in Florida. "There is a misconception that only illegal drugs such as cocaine and heroin are harmful to the baby. However, prescription drugs such as oxycodone, methadone and Xanax will alter the brain chemistry of the developing fetus, and after birth the baby will experience withdrawal."

It has become more common to take pain and anxiety medications, Newport said. For women, some take these medications before becoming pregnant and some start taking prescription medications during the pregnancy for relief from headaches and backaches.

"Women assume a physician would not prescribe a medication potentially causing harm to the baby, however some physicians are not fully aware of the impact to the baby," Newport said.

"There are many babies who have mild withdrawal, not severe enough to come into the NICU," said Newport. "In 2008 babies treated in the ICU for withdrawal were 37. In 2010 we had 88, more than double in just two years."

One in 20 babies born in this community are addicted to painkillers, added Newport.

"On average these babies stay in the hospital for about three weeks and can be up to eight weeks until the baby is weaned off the medication," said Newport. "Many times the babies have difficulty to breast or bottle feeding and sleeping."

"Treatment for these babies is done with morphine and sometimes adding phenobarbital to help them sleep. We do not know what the long term consequences will be of the drugs used by their mothers nor the drugs we use to treat them," added Newport.

"An important part of caring for sick and critically ill newborns is providing sedation and pain relief, and learning to provide this relief is part of our training as NICU doctors and nurses," said Newport. "Most of us never imagined that we would be providing pain relief to so many newborns who are withdrawing from medications taken by their mothers."

It is difficult for us to understand why these young women think it is okay, as most are addicted before they get pregnant, she added.

Nienhuis commented on the new Hernando County Pain Management Clinic ordinance, "It has already shown progress, but this is an issue that will have to be attacked on several fronts."

"Until we can make it socially unacceptable to use these powerful and highly addictive pain killers in anything but terminal cases," he said, "this problem will continue to plague our society just like morphine and heroin have since the last half of the 1800s."