A recent Tampa Bay report focused on Patrick Whelan, an individual addicted to pain medications. The most recent supply he had was oxycodone, but he claimed his girlfriend stole them from him. His doctor refused to issue another prescription without a police report.

Unfortunately for Whelan, police officers were not very receptive when he made the call. They had a slightly different response when he decided to take matters into his own hands, however. He went to the local Walgreen’s Pharmacy with a gun in hand and demanded oxy be put into a bag. He gave the pharmacist one minute to load as much as possible.

The pharmacist responded by placing several oxycodone bottles into the bag. With his supply in hand, Whelan left the store. When an employee followed him out and noticed the car he used to leave the location, the tag number was recorded and the police were called.

According to Whelan, his addiction developed after a motorcycle accident that caused pain. He was legally prescribed medication, but that led to his addiction. Once officers searched his home, they found he had stolen roughly 600 pills. The handgun used in the robbery was also found – and was identified as stolen.

Whelan has been charged with armed robbery and remains detained, unable to post the $50,000 bond.
 

Scientists from the Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania found that there are four main risk factors for becoming addicted to prescription painkillers: being younger than 65, having a history of depression, abusing other drugs in the past, and using psychotropic medications.

The researchers gathered DNA information from 705 patients who were being prescribed opioid painkillers such as morphine and codeine for back pain for more than 90 days. They also examined a gene located on chromosome 15, which has been linked with alcoholism, cocaine addiction, and nicotine addiction, and found that gene mutations on this chromosome may be linked to opioid addiction.

Joseph Boscarino, an epidemiologist and senior investigator at Geisinger’s Center for Health Research, said that their study suggests that people with these risk factors are 26 percent more likely to become addicted to painkillers, and that screening patients for the risk factors prior to prescribing narcotic painkillers could help prevent addiction. He added that the same risk factors could increase the risk of addiction in patients without chronic pain.

Source: HealthDay News, Robert Preidt, Study Identifies Risks for Painkiller Addiction, September 2, 2010

Administered intravenously, by mouth or liquid, Demerol is a synthetic drug commonly used during childbirth and before or during certain surgeries. Formally known as meperidine hydrocholoride, Demerol dulls the pain centers of the brain. Side effects range from tremors and clammy skin to muscle weakness, reduced heart rate and a sense of confusion. It may also cause dizziness, skin itching, headache or vomiting.

Like other habit-forming narcotic drugs, Demerol is not new on the market. It emerged nearly 80 years ago, during the 1930s, and was first intended for muscle cramps or spasms. A street name for Demerol is “demmies,” and the drug is popular for its sedation properties and similarity to morphine.

When used for illegal purposes, the drug can be injected, taken as a pill or breathed in through the nose. Demerol may have gained new attention in 2009, when an ABC News article reported that the late superstar Michael Jackson had a longtime addiction to the drug, as stated by Jackson’s previous video producer.

The sedative and pain-relieving capabilities of Demerol set in quickly, in as little as 10 minutes after a dose is taken. A feeling of euphoria can also occur because the drug can activate areas of the brain responsible for pleasure. Adding to the addictive nature of Demerol is its relative low cost on the street – sometimes as little as $3 to $6.

One significant side effect of Demerol is a slowed respiratory system, which can occur with cardiac arrest or shock. An overdose may cause muscle weakness, problems with breathing, significant drowsiness and a drop in heart rate. An overdose of Demerol can also bring on a coma or fainting.

If alcohol is consumed while taking Demerol, serious side effects or death can occur. People who already have seizures or convulsive disorders are not recommended to take Demerol, and it should be given under very careful observation to elderly people.

Not only are the pleasurable effects of Demerol similar to morphine, so is its addictive nature. Marked tiredness and depression can be experienced by patients during withdrawal. A gradual tapering of the drug is recommended rather than an abrupt stoppage.

Patients addicted to Demerol may have strong urges for the drug, will need to keep raising their dosage amounts and will show signs of withdrawal when it is discontinued. Tolerance is also a factor in Demerol consumption, as patients will need more and more to receive favorable responses. The severity of withdrawal from Demerol is connected with the person’s level of usage, and the physical withdrawal period can last as long as ten days.

A detoxification clinic is recommended for Demerol recovery, especially one that combines doctor supervision with cognitive therapy.

Senior author of the study, David Berry, professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, describes how students can be quite successful in their attempts to fool clinical professionals. Berry, along with UK psychologist John Ranseen and graduate student Myriam Sollman, conducted an experiment to test how easy it was for healthy college students to fake ADHD symptoms and successfully pass clinical examinations for the disorder.

The researchers recruited 74 college students from the University of Kentucky to take a standard assessment for ADHD detection. The participants were divided into two groups: One group was instructed to respond to the test honestly, while the other group was instructed to make their best attempt to fake ADHD. The "faking" participants were permitted to review readily available information on ADHD and its symptoms by searching the Internet for five minutes prior to taking the assessment. They were also motivated to successfully pass the assessment with a financial incentive—the researchers would give the participants $45 if they passed the ADHD assessment (all participants were awarded the money at the conclusion of the study). As a control, the researchers also created a third group of students who were legitimately diagnosed with ADHD and had them take the same assessment.

For the ADHD assessment, the researchers used standard ADHD symptom checklists, neurocognitive tests, and symptom validity tests (SVTs), which are measures designed to detect feigned psychiatric and neurocognitive symptoms. After the participants completed the assessment, the researchers found that the "fakers" passed almost all of the measures for ADHD diagnosis. These normal, healthy students were able to feign their symptoms after being briefly coached with easily accessible information on ADHD prior to their exam. The "fakers" were particularly successful at faking their symptoms on the ADHD symptom checklists. The other ADHD tests showed moderate ability in detection of malingering, with the SVTs showing the best detection. Because the "fakers" were highly successful in feigning their symptoms, the researchers recommend that SVTs should always accompany clinical ADHD testing in order to avoid misdiagnoses, as well as thorough evaluation of patient’s emotional and cognitive medical history.

The study brings attention to a startling reality—why would anyone want to falsely be labeled with a behavioral disorder? Some people abuse the ADHD stimulant medications for recreational use; some may be searching for attention or sympathy; others use the stimulants to enhance their academic or professional performance; and some may engage in reselling the drugs to others. Furthermore, some college campuses provide special privileges to students diagnosed with the disorder, such as copies of professors’ lecture notes, extra time when taking exams or submitting assignments, or greater housing accommodations on campus.

ADHD is a legitimate debilitating disorder that affects thousands of children and adults across the U.S. The feigning of ADHD not only inhibits the available medical resources for ADHD treatment, but misuse of ADHD medication poses serious harm to people without the condition. Those who choose to abuse ADHD medications face the risk of severe adverse effects, such as increased anxiety, higher blood pressure, tachycardia, dependence, and even overdose.

Source: HealthDay, Some Fake ADHD to Get Meds, Special Treatment, August 27, 2010

The man did not demand or take any cash. When he left the pharmacy with the stolen pills, he was chased on foot by witnesses. They report he pulled out his knife to confront them, waning he would cut them if they didn’t leave him alone.

The individual was said to then get in a bronze, four-door Jeep driven by an unidentified individual. The suspect was described to be in his late 30s, or early 40s, roughly 6 feet 3 inches tall and an estimated 185 pounds. He was identified as having a small patch of hair below his lower lip.

Crimes such as these continue to pop up in destinations all over the world. More and more individuals are finding themselves addicted to substances that were originally intended to relieve legitimate pain. Pharmacies are a key destination for robberies as they maintain high quantities of narcotic painkillers, such as OxyContin, Percocet and other drugs that are in high demand.

Law enforcement agencies are working to try and make it more difficult for addicts to target pharmacies, yet the process is bound to be slow and inconvenience law-abiding citizens.
 

It is suspected that the tragedy that befell Anna Nicole Smith was one born of dependence on substances that were intended to provide relief, but never should have been taken together. At the age of 39, Smith died from what authorities refer to as an “accidental” overdose of sleeping pills. At the time of ingestion of the sleeping pills, Smith already had a number of sedatives in her system, increasing the risk of adverse side effects.

In fact, autopsy reports indicated Smith had as many as nine different prescription drugs in her body at the time of death. The levels of each medication were said to be of therapeutic amount, yet each one was delivered in a bottle with a warning about taking it with the other medications found.

The medications listed on her autopsy report include chloral hydrate, a sedative to treat insomnia; Valium, used to relieve anxiety, among other things; Benadryl, an antihistamine that also happens to help induce sleep; Lorazepam, an anti-anxiety medication; Klonopin, used to control seizures and to relieve anxiety; Temazepan, normally used in the short term to induce sleep; Oxazepam, used to relieve anxiety or control agitation caused by the withdrawal of alcohol; and Nordiazepam and Tamazepam, which are active metabolites of Valium.

Reports show that not one of these substances was taken in excessive amounts, yet many of them should have never been ingested together. For instance, Valium, Lorazepam, Klonopin, Oxazepam, and Temazepam are all part of the benzodiazepine class of drugs. They are designed to slow down the central nervous system and should never be combined because of the risk of serious consequences or death.

In the case of Anna Nicole Smith, physicians who had treated the celebrity were taken to trial after her death, accused of putting Smith in danger. The problem with such a case, however, is that the victim is no longer around to tell her side of the story. And, while physicians may have acted irresponsibly in prescribing medications without verifying if she was taking others, the ultimate responsibility still lies with Smith.

This case demonstrates the power a nationwide prescription monitoring program could have in regulating the number of drugs prescribed to one individual. While it is true that the rich and famous may still be able to buy whatever cocktails they wish to fend off their own demons, the reality is the system now in place still allows the addict to secure whatever they want to feed their addiction.
 

Such an addiction was behind a gunpoint robbery recently in Eureka, according to a Times Standard report. A suspect used a gun to rob the Redwood Pharmacies of its stock of OxyContin.

According to reports from the Eureka Police Department, a man pointed a handgun at the clerk to gain access to the narcotic. He then ran out of the store and down the alley behind the building. The pharmacy was closed during the investigation.

One co-worker was alerted by another when the man entered the store. He reportedly had a black cloth covering most of his face. When the pharmacy worker ran to tell the pharmacist the store was being robbed, she turned around to meet the eyes of the perpetrator. The man told her he just wanted the OxyContin and would leave quickly.

Workers claim the individual was actually friendly about it, making the whole incident seem weird. When no one responded to his request, he asked for the drugs again and an employee pointed to the cupboard where the drugs were kept. The robber quickly took the OxyContin and left the pharmacy.

In talking with individuals at another pharmacy that had been robbed previously, the description of the individual, including his disposition and blue eyes, matched that of the Redwood Pharmacies robber.
 

A recent Science Daily release captured data gathered by University at Buffalo physicians who found that 31 out of 75 patients hospitalized for opioid detoxification developed their addiction through a standard prescription for pain. Another 24 individuals began their addiction with a friend’s left-over prescription pills or those found in their parent’s medicine cabinet. The remaining 20 seeking treatment originally found their fix on the street.

Even when the beginnings were innocent enough, 92 percent of these individuals eventually found what they needed to feed their addiction on the street. The primary drug of choice was heroin as it was less expensive and often more effective than prescription medications. Most users reported they continued their use as a way to erase emotional stress and pain; feel normal; or feel like a better person.

Findings such as these suggest that prescription medications are simply the first step to opioid abuse and an addiction to illicit drugs. It is also suggested that those individuals who use prescriptions illegally may be at a greater risk of heroin use and abuse than those who use the medication according to the law. Additional research is needed, yet this study suggests that getting to the source could be the best place for information.
 

The study, published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, will be used to train medical students and residents at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, as well as physicians who are already treating patients. The researchers hope the study will help doctors screen for addiction among patients so that at-risk patients can be referred to treatment or given an intervention. 

Richard Blondell, MD, professor of family medicine and senior author of the study, said that researchers and doctors are seeing more and more patients who are addicted to prescription medication, and wanted to better understand how they first started using the drugs.

He said their study suggests that prescription opioids can lead to illicit drug addiction, and that people who abuse prescription medication may be at a greater risk for later heroin use.

The participants in the study were patients who were addicted to opioids, such as methadone, OxyContin, and fentanyl. The researchers gathered information from the participants, including the drugs they used, the age when they started using, the ways in which they took the drugs, how they started using, and how their drug use progressed.

The average age of drug users was 32. 65 percent were male, 77 percent defined themselves as white, and 74 percent graduated from high school but had no college education. Fifty-one percent said they started using the drugs after surgery or an injury or for consistent pain, and 49 percent said they were curious or a friend or family member had the drugs.

People who became addicted after being legally prescribed the medication were more likely to be female, older, have a college degree, and take drugs orally instead of snorting or injecting. Most people said they continued taking the drugs to help alleviate emotional pain and stress and to help them feel "normal." 

An interesting point was that out of the 53 patients who answered the question, 74 percent said that their doctors didn’t ask whether they had a substance abuse problem before handing over the prescription. 

Blondell said that the physician prescribing the medication has the best chance to prevent addiction or help patients get treatment, and that all physicians should tell their patients that addiction can be a result of using certain medications. He added that doctors need to monitor their patients’ use of the medication closely, and to properly dispose of leftover medication.

Source: Science Daily, Drug Addicts Get Hooked Via Prescriptions, Keep Using ‘to Feel Like a Better Person,’ Research Shows, August 21, 2010

Recently, Massachusetts passed legislation that requires all pharmacies within the state to provide prescription drug lock boxes for sale to the public at their locations. On August 9, Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives passed Chapter 283 to the Acts of 2010: An Act Adding Safeguards to the Prescription Monitoring Program and Furthering Substance Abuse Education and Prevention. The legislation is the first of its kind not just for the state of Massachusetts, but the entire U.S. The bill was sponsored by Governor Deval Patrick, Senator Steven Tolman, and the Massachusetts Pharmacists Association. Section 11(b) of the legislation states that all pharmacies that dispense Schedule II, III, IV, or V prescription drugs are required to make purchasable prescription drug lock boxes readily available to consumers in order to encourage the public’s safety efforts when handling over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Prescription drug lock boxes are safe and secure locking mechanisms that cannot be tampered with without extreme force and can only be opened through its combination lock. A combination lock ensures that only the prescribed patient will have access to their prescription medications as intended, and keeps these prescription drugs from falling into the wrong hands, particularly children. Most retailed prescription lock boxes are designed to hold up to four prescription bottles and can fit within the average medicine cabinet.

Prescription drug abuse has become a national epidemic in recent years, with an alarming rate of abuse among adolescents and older adults alike. On June 3, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 20.2% of American teenagers (1 in 5) admit to having illicitly taken a prescription medication one or more times in their lifetime. Furthermore, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that 55.9% of prescription drug treatment admissions had illicitly obtained prescription medications from a friend or family member. Pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives are all highly potent drugs that can be just as toxic as street drugs when misused.

Teenagers who abuse pharmaceuticals most often obtain the drugs from their own parents’ medicine cabinets. Some teenagers may bring collections of prescription drugs to parties known as ‘pharm parties’ where multiple prescription drugs are shared among peers and often mixed with other substances such as alcohol, marijuana, or even cocaine. SAMHSA reports that the number of emergency room visits related to prescription pain relievers rose from an estimated 144,644 in 2004 to 305,885 in 2008—an increase of 111%. The abuse of opioid pain reliever medications has caused more overdose deaths in the U.S. than heroin and cocaine combined.

Even though pharmaceuticals are intended to help treat illness or alleviate pain, they are often misused for recreational purposes. Many Americans are unaware of pharmaceutical drugs’ potential for abuse, dependency, addiction, and overdose. The prevalence of prescription drug abuse has now become parallel with illicit substance abuse across the nation, affecting Americans of all regions and demographics. Prescription drug lock boxes are an effective tool for combating prescription drug abuse, and puts control right in the hands of parents to help keep their households safe. By mandating the sale of lock boxes, Massachusetts pharmacies are helping residents understand the dangers involved in handling controlled substances.

Source: PR Newswire, New Law Requires Pharmacies in Massachusetts to Carry Rx Lock Boxes, August 18, 2010