Oxycodone: The Father of All Codones

Oxycodone is an opiate that is legitimately prescribed to treat moderate to severe pain. In the body, the drug converts to morphine and affects the dopamine centers of the brain. When abused, oxycodone produces a sense of euphoria, followed by alternating periods of sleep and wakefulness.

Trade names for oxycodone include Percodan, Percocet and Tylox, as well as the controlled-release form, OxyContin, which is designed to provide up to 12 hours of pain relief. People who abuse OxyContin typically crush the tablets to eliminate the timed-release mechanism, and then swallow, snort or inject the powder.

Although oxycodone may initially be covered by insurance (typically following surgery, injury or an accident), once the cost is no longer covered, a single pill can cost $20 to $40 on the street. This leads some oxycodone abusers to harder, cheaper drugs like heroin. Over time, tolerance develops and the user needs larger doses just to feel normal.

Once addicted to oxycodone, users can be overpowered by intense drug cravings, stopping at nothing to get more of the drug. Those who abruptly stop using the drug may experience oxycodone withdrawal. Symptoms of withdrawal include vomiting, involuntary leg movements, irregular heartbeat, sweating, muscle cramps, bone and joint pain, insomnia, diarrhea, and anxiety.

Hydrocodone: Don’t Mess with Mama

Hydrocodone use has quadrupled in the past decade, making it one of the most abused prescription drugs in the U.S. Hydrocodone is a powerful narcotic painkiller that has been combined with aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen to produce a number of prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Lorcet and Lortab. Sometimes described as a “white collar” addiction, hydrocodone sells for $2 to $10 per pill on the street.

People who use hydrocodone without a prescription, take more than prescribed, request prescriptions from multiple doctors or require large doses to feel normal may be struggling with hydrocodone addiction. In addition to the risk of addiction, the other medications combined with hydrocodone (such as Tylenol) are dangerous in large doses.

Roxicodone: A Baby with a Bite

“Roxi” is a cute name for a powerfully addictive narcotic painkiller. The active ingredient, oxycodone hydrochloride, provides instant pain relief. Roxicodone can be taken orally but is often smoked or injected when abused. In addition to euphoria, roxicodone side effects can include respiratory problems, muscle aches, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, anxiety, itchy skin, blurred vision, and fatigue.

Most people who use oxycodone, hydrocodone or roxicodone will not become addicted – but for those that do, this family can bring dysfunction into every aspect of life. Prescription narcotics are leading the prescription drug abuse epidemic, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. Armed with knowledge, you can protect yourself and keep the Codone family far away from yours.

Meet the ‘Codones’ is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University say that few doctors give adequate attention to prescribing opioids to patients, despite the high risk of abuse, addiction and overdose.

In a study published online March 2 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the researchers found that there was not appropriate monitoring for opioid prescriptions, even when the patient was at a high risk of opioid misuse with a history of drug abuse or dependence.

Lead author Joanna Starrels, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor of Medicine at Einstein, explains that the findings of the study provide support for a standardized approach to monitoring.

The research team evaluated the administrative and medical records for over 1,600 patients who were receiving prescription opioids for chronic, non-cancer pain. The records were analyzed for whether urine drug testing occurred, whether the patients were seen regularly in the office and whether the patients received multiple early refills for opioids.

Very few of the patients (about 8 percent) were asked to provide a urine test. While testing was highest among those who were considered high-risk for abuse, the testing among those patients was only 24 percent. About half of patients given opioid prescriptions were seen regularly in the office and the frequency was not increased for those at a higher risk of opioid abuse.

While less than a quarter (23 percent) of patients received two or more early opioid prescription refills, patients considered at a greater risk for misuse were more likely to receive multiple early refills.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse reported in 2004 that 48 million people over the age of 12 have taken prescription drugs for nonmedical uses in their lifetime. This equates to about 20 percent of the total population. Among the drugs most commonly misused were opioids.

While many doctors are aware of the risk of prescription opioid abuse, many do not have a set of standardized procedures to prevent the misuse of prescription opioids by their patients. The findings of this study highlight the need for a process that will prevent multiple early refills and require periodic office visits by patients prescribed with opioids.

Standardized Monitoring Needed for Prescription Painkillers is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Alan Duke of CNN.com writes that the full autopsy report made public Thursday details the drugs that were found in the 32-year-old actress’s body after she died in her Hollywood Hills home December 20.

"Multiple medications were present in the blood, with elevated levels of hydrocodone, acetaminophen, and chlorpheniramine. L-methamphetamine was also present," the report said.

“The pattern of use of these medications suggest treatment of symptoms of a cold or other respiratory infection. Acetaminophen and hydrocodone are components of Vicodin. Chlorpheniramine is the active ingredient in some over-the-counter medications. L-methamphetamine is a component of some inhalers,” the coroner said.

The death was ruled an accident because "possible adverse physiological effects of elevated levels of these medications cannot be discounted, especially in her weakened state," the report said.

The autopsy showed Murphy was suffering from "acute pneumonia consistent with a community-acquired infection."

The "chronic iron deficiency" she had (likely caused by heavy menstrual periods) "leads to a weakened state of health and would increase her vulnerability to infection," the report said.

Her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, told People magazine the actress had "laryngitis and flu-like symptoms" at the time of her death.

Monjack said Murphy used Vicoprofen to relieve pain from severe menstrual cramps. Vicoprofen includes hydrocodone and ibuprofen.

"She was on an antibiotic and was taking cough medicine," he said.

Murphy was pronounced dead at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after she was rushed there in the early morning hours of Sunday, December 20.

Prescription Drugs Contributed to Actress Brittany Murphy’s Death is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Martiga Lohn of the Associated Press reports that Minnesota joins 33 other states that monitor prescriptions for controlled substances such as amphetamines, barbiturates, and even some diet pills. The state database—funded by a $400,000 federal grant—is expected to track more than a million prescriptions a year.

The aim is to stop drug abusers and dealers from shopping around for prescriptions. By one estimate, Minnesota has more than 100,000 prescription drug abusers.

“It’s not going to prevent all drugstore burglaries, it’s not going to prevent kids from going into their parents’ bathroom and taking stuff out on the street to sell, but it will limit the amount of prescriptions that are written by physicians who think it’s a legitimate health care need and have it turn around and end up becoming a street drug,” said Sen. Linda Berglin, a Minneapolis Democrat.

The database doesn’t guarantee that abusers will be stopped. Although dispensers must file reports for the database, doctors and pharmacists aren’t required to consult it to see if their patient or customer is a potential drug abuser. And no one is routinely going through reports to find abusers. Doctors and pharmacists who do consult the database aren’t required to report patients they suspect of abuse or to withhold prescriptions from those patients.

Patients should see signs announcing the new system, or get information on a handout or receipt with their prescription. Hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and clinics that administer pain medications directly to patients aren’t part of the tracking program.

In Kentucky, which has had a prescription monitoring program since 1999, about a third of health care providers have gotten accounts to look at the state’s database.

Cody Wiberg, executive director of the state Pharmacy Board, said Minnesota’s program is designed to keep prescription data as private as possible: Law enforcement officials will need a court order or search warrant to access the information. Prescribers and dispensers including physicians, dentists and pharmacists will need to pass a Pharmacy Board licensing and identification check before getting access codes to look at the data. Pharmacy employees who work with authorized pharmacists won’t get the codes.

Health care workers can face punishment from their professional licensing boards for looking up data inappropriately. Prescription data will be removed from the system after a year.
Vicodin is likely the most abused prescription drug in Minnesota, Wiberg said, partly because it is easier to get than always popular OxyContin. Both are pain medications.

Wiberg estimated that more than 100,000 Minnesotans abuse prescription drugs based on a state survey. Relying on federal statistics, Wiberg also estimated that 2,000 to 4,000 Minnesotans are suspected “doctor shoppers,” who visit multiple physicians and pharmacies getting prescriptions for drugs to abuse or sell.

Minnesota to Track Narcotic Prescriptions is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Goldstein and fellow musician Travis Barker were the sole survivors of the Learjet crash in South Carolina in September 2008, but they both spent months receiving treatment for burns, trauma, and emotional distress.

Now Goldstein’s estate is suing the company that chartered the plane for wrongful death, claiming that Goldstein, a former drug addict, was forced to take various pain medications as a result of the accident, which left two pilots and two friends dead.

The family lawyers are also going after Learjet and the estates of the two dead pilots, according to TMZ.com.

Family Says Plane Crash Caused DJ AM’s Death is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Linda Deutsch of the Associated Press reports that Dr. Nathalie Maullin was to continue her testimony Tuesday as prosecutors sought to show that the celebrity model was addicted to painkillers supplied by defendants in a drug case.

Maullin took the stand Monday after a disruption in the testimony of star witness Larry Birkhead resulted in a member of the prosecution team disappearing from the courtroom.

District attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said the future role of Deputy District Attorney Sarah Slice was under discussion after Birkhead, the father of Smith’s daughter, testified that she tried to influence his testimony. He said the young prosecutor suggested he was “taking the side” of Smith’s former boyfriend, lawyer Howard K. Stern.

Birkhead said Slice also warned him his daughter might have future problems because of her mother’s drug use.

“I felt I personally did my best and I was being chastised,” Birkhead said under questioning by defense attorney Ellyn Garofalo.

Birkhead said Slice told him prosecutors were “frustrated” with his testimony in the preliminary hearing, which will decide whether Stern and two doctors stand trial. They are charged with conspiracy to illegally give controlled substances to Smith, who died of an accidental overdose in 2007.

When court resumed after lunch, Slice was absent. An after-hours call to her office was not answered. District attorney Renee Rose kept Birkhead on the stand talking about Smith’s drug use.

Birkhead said he thought Smith took too many medications but that she told him: “I’m not a drug addict.”

Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry asked if he ever had a conversation with Stern in which he used the word “addiction.” Birkhead answered, “No.”

Rose continued to press Birkhead on multiple issues, including the fact that he made $2 million from TV interviews after Smith’s death, until the judge told her he had heard enough.

In her testimony Monday, Maullin described her contact with Smith when she checked into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in April 2006, pregnant and in apparent withdrawal from pain and anti-anxiety medications. She said Smith had decided to “go cold turkey” and stop all drugs when she became pregnant, resulting in withdrawal.

She said Smith came to the hospital in distress, sweating, having spasms in her arms and legs, and with her eyes dilated.

Maullin said she contacted Smith’s physician, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, one of those now charged in the case, and learned he had prescribed seven different drugs to Smith during the time she was seeking relief from pain.

Maullin said she suggested a new regimen including hypnosis and acupuncture but Smith wasn’t interested.

“She wouldn’t engage. She didn’t make eye contact. She was very hostile,” Maullin recalled. “It was, ‘Give me my medication and leave me alone.’”

Maullin said that when Smith was asked questions, she would reply: “Ask Howard.”

She said she told Stern that Smith should be in a structured rehab program and discussed with him and Kapoor her belief that Smith was addicted. Maullin said that during Smith’s hospital stay, she tried to regulate the former model’s use of methadone for pain and remove her from a number of drugs known as benzodiazepines.

Rose suggested that after Smith’s release, Kapoor continued to prescribe one of those medications.

Kapoor’s attorney, Ellyn Garofalo, has said the doctor gave Smith “sound and appropriate” treatment. Attorney Steve Sadow, representing Stern, has said his client shouldn’t be blamed for Smith’s death because he was relying on the doctors to treat her.

Anna Nicole Smith’s Drug Addiction Detailed is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

College campuses are beginning to recognize the growing problem among its students and are beginning to take this abuse more seriously. Recovery centers are seeing an increase in college students seeking help for their prescription drug addiction.

In a warning to students, the Catholic University of America noted, “All students should take a closer look at their friends, roommates and even that lonely guy sitting by himself in the back of the classroom. There is no stereotypical abuser of prescription drugs. It can be the girl who takes Adderall to give her energy boosts before finals. It can be that guy who goes missing during parties to crush and snort Vicodin. It can even be your roommate who secretly pops a Xanax with a drink while watching a movie.”

One college journalist interviewed a typical user who reported on the true picture of use on college campuses. This user did not know many students who had done cocaine; none who had tried crack; but could not count the number of known students to have taken Adderall.

The Archives of Internal Medicine show in a recent study of nearly 50 million U.S. death certificates that more than 224,000 were the result of a fatal medication error. These errors included overdosing, mixing prescription drugs with alcohol and street drugs.

College administrators are recognizing the real threat illegal prescription drug use is to students. Not only are these students breaking the law, they are assuming the medication is safe since it is FDA approved.

Health care officials are quick to point out it is only safe when taken by the person it was prescribed for at the prescribed dosage. Anything beyond that is life threatening.

Colleges Taking Notice of Prescription Drug Abuse on Campus is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, along with the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses, are providing guidance and scripts online to parents about good ways to bring up what the teens are going through.

The Associated Press writes that a key risk factor for children in military families is the fact that teens are more likely to experiment with alcohol or drugs during times of transition—and many military children have experienced multiple transitions as their parents mobilized for duty in Iraq and Afghanistan on top of ordinary military relocations, which happen on average nearly every three years.

"When these families are moving their adolescent kids, they’re introducing another transition, another point of time where those kids can fall into drug and alcohol abuse," said Steve Pasierb, president of the New York-based Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "That’s what we’re hearing from military families, that their kids are under a lot of pressure."

Another concern is military teens’ access to prescription drugs, which are common among war veterans under treatment for a mental or physical injury. After alcohol and marijuana, prescription drugs are the next most highly abused drugs by teens, according to a study by the partnership.

There’s no research that shows whether military teens are abusing substances at a higher rate than the rest of the population. But the organizations say they’ve heard enough anecdotal reports to be concerned.

Amy Garcia, executive director of the National Association of School Nurses, based in Silver Spring, Maryland., said her son, Jim, developed an addiction at age 14 while she was in Germany tending to her husband, Ernie, a Marine Reserve who broke his neck in a 2004 dining hall bombing in Iraq but has since recovered. The injury occurred when Jim was also dealing with other changes, such as attending a new school.

"Jim was acting brave and I thought he was OK," Garcia said. "Would talking with Jim about the transitions he was experiencing have made a difference? Possibly. Probably. Our children do listen and we had not taken the time to talk about those particular issues."
She said Jim is in a 12-step program, and their family spent more than $138,000 on treatment for him last year at a private hospital.

As part of the initiative, the organizations are providing tools online that parents can use to initiate conversations. Garcia said she’s hopeful that families will add them as part of their to-do checklist before a soldier deploys.
Robyn Lutzkanin, 16, of Stafford, Virginia., whose dad has deployed twice to Iraq, said it was difficult to adjust last year when her dad was transferred to Fort Belvoir, Virginia. She said she does not use drugs or alcohol, and many of the issues she’s faced were made easier because her family meets regularly to discuss them.

"Being in the military is about being strong and some people think it’s weak to cry. They think it’s weak to talk about what’s bothering you. They think you have to be strong and push through it and it doesn’t work," Lutzkanin said. "It doesn’t solve the problem if you don’t communicate."

Campaign Educates Military Families on Substance Abuse is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

“It was damn serious. Death had to knock on my door to help me with my decision,” Williams said, admitting that he was still haunted by fears of relapsing, despite being clean for three years.

“I’m aware I have a self-destructive character, but does this hold me back from being happy? No,” he said.

The singer is making a comeback with a new single, Bodies, out on October 12, and a performance on The X Factor.

He’s long battled drug addiction. Two years ago, he spent his 33rd birthday in a drug treatment clinic in Arizona. At the time, his mother Jan described his addiction as a “living hell”.

Robbie began experimenting with illegal substances when he was 16 and first tried LSD during a night out in his hometown, Stoke-on-Trent.

While under the influence of the drug, “American footballs were coming out of the TV,” he said, “So I decided to go downstairs and stab myself. Mum came out of her room and said, ‘What are you doing?’” He told his mother, “I’m just going downstairs to stab myself–do you want a cup of tea?’

After he left the band Take That, Robbie said musician Elton John “kidnapped” him to seek help for his problems with drugs and alcohol.

Williams wrote in his book, Feel, that Sir Elton John drove him to a clinic in 1997 after watching him binge on heroin, cocaine, and ecstasy.

“I was sandwiched by two people in the back of the car so I wouldn’t try to commit suicide or run off,” he remembers.

The singer said the rehab staff treated him like a “naughty boy” and told him to write everything he was addicted to so he wrote everything he’d taken: “Heroin, ecstasy, marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, amyl nitrate, speed.”

Robbie says that today, girlfriend Ayda Field has changed his life. “I’m now in love with someone who returns this love as strongly as I love her. I’ve never experienced that before. That’s what makes me so careful in this relationship, because I don’t want to hurt Ayda.”

Singer Robbie Williams Says Prescription Drug Addiction Almost Killed Him is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The study involved youth ages 12 to 17, and indicates that 9.3 percent of teens used illicit drugs in any one-month period in 2008, down about 2 percent over the course of the survey.

“The survey findings are important because they often point to emerging patterns of substance abuse," says Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy. "Although we see some success in the reduction of overall illicit drug use, methamphetamine, and prescription drug abuse among teens, there are indications that progress in other areas may be at a standstill, or even slipping back."

The Office of National Drug Control Policy is actively involved in prevention of teen drug use, aiming messages at both the youth and their parents.

While teen drug use overall appears to be down, the report sees an overall softening in attitudes toward drug use, highlighted by a decrease in the number of teens who view weekly marijuana use as a "great risk."

Teen Drug Use Down in Last Six Years; Prescription Drugs Still a Concern is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment