Reliance on family and friends for prescription drugs is most common among occasional abusers (those who abuse drugs less than once a week) and new abusers. When abuse becomes chronic, many turn to doctors, the Internet or drug dealers as a source for prescription drugs. Among chronic abusers, about 40 percent continue to obtain pills from friends and relatives. The pills are either given freely or taken without the owner’s knowledge.

Approximately 7 million American are currently believed to be prescription drug abusers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that prescription drugs are responsible for about 75 percent of all fatal drug overdoses in the nation. This is more than the overdose rate for cocaine and heroin combined. Three quarters of all prescription drug overdoses are caused by narcotic painkillers like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin.

Michele Leonhart, head of the DEA, calls prescription drug addiction one of the greatest drug threats ever faced by the nation. Drug agencies have united in an attempt to educate the public on the importance of securing prescription drugs and disposing of them properly when no longer needed. Unfortunately, Congress recently turned down President Obama’s request for $20 million for a drug disposal media campaign to be run from the White House Office of Drug Control Policy.

The new report from the DEA was issued in preparation for a DEA-sponsored National Prescription Drug Take Back Day scheduled for April 28, 2012. More than 5,000 collection sites will be set up across the country where the public can dispose of prescription drugs that are expired or no longer needed. Other methods of discarding drugs, such as washing them down a sink, flushing them or throwing them in the trash pose health, safety and environmental risks. According to DEA spokesperson Barbara Carreno, drugs that are tossed in the trash can be retrieved and abused and drugs that are flushed can contaminate the water supply.

The National Take Back Day drug disposal service is free and anonymous. In three previous Take Back events, the DEA collected and safely disposed of about a million pounds of prescription drugs. Many drug experts, including American Medical Association president Dr. Peter W. Carmel, believe that a national program needs to be established that will help people dispose of unused drugs throughout the year. The AMA supports legislation that would support such a program as part of a national strategy for fighting prescription drug abuse.

OxyNEO - Merely a Profit Maximizing Invention?

In a recent article in the Canadian new source theStar.com, the question is raised whether or not OxyNEO is really just a timely invention due to OxyContin patent protection expiring.

The article argues that Purdue Pharma was threatened by the inevitable OxyContin generics that would be coming to market since the patent for the OxyContin drug would have expired in November.  Now, the companies who were already in development of “generic” OxyContin face an unsure future as gneric versions of the drug may or may not be allowed to come to market in Canada.

Big Pharma = Big Business, But at What Cost?

Big Pharma is definitely a profitable endeavor, but there’s blood on the hands of these companies.  While the profits for OxyContin are high, the costs are as well.  The invention of OxyNEO cannot helped to be seen as a ploy for more profits when you consider the timing of its release in Canada.  New drugs are coming to market like ZoHydro (pure hydrocodone – the painkiller in Vicodin), and the question is, “why??”  Vicodin is highly addictive and blamed as the main “gateway drug” of all prescription drgus.

Opana is especially notable for it’s potency (and thus, proclovity for addiction and overdose).

The Chicago Tribute recently focused on the growing problem of Opana abuse in rural areas of America. Opana, a narcotic painkiller that contains oxymorphone, is one of the highly addictive drugs that are part of the nation’s current epidemic of prescription drug abuse.

Scott County in Indiana is an example of the type of rural area that has been hardest hit by Opana abuse. Located in southern Indiana, the county has a population of about 24,000. According to county coroner Kevin Collins, at least 9 people have died from prescription drug overdoses so far this year. Most of these deaths were caused by Opana. Last year there were 19 overdose deaths in the county, amounting to about half of all cases investigated by the coroner. “We’re seeing a lot of 25-year-olds who are dead for no apparent reason,” said Collins.

No Mystery Why They're Called "Stop Signs" or "Octagons"in the Drug Community

Opana is referred to on the street as Octagons, Stop Signs, New Blues and a variety of other names. Unlike OxyContin, Opana pills can be crushed and then snorted or injected for a heroin-like high. Law enforcement officials attribute the rise in Opana abuse to the reformulation of OxyContin (the brand name for oxycodone). In 2010, the maker of OxyContin was pressured into making the pills harder to crush. Many former OxyContin abusers who have turned to Opana may be unaware that it is more potent than OxyContin and is associated with a great risk of overdose.

Until a few years ago, the most abused drug in small towns was methamphetamine. Prescription painkillers are now more widely abused than meth and the Centers for Disease Control has reported that more people are dying in the U.S. from prescription drugs than from cocaine and heroin combined.

Prescription drug abusers obtain drugs by doctor shopping or buy them from dealers or from people with legitimate prescriptions. According to Scott County Sheriff Dan McLain, one Opana pill can bring up to $90 on the street. Small towns also have their share of unethical doctors who will write prescriptions for a fee when there is no medical reason for the drug. In 2010, the equivalent of 48 oxycodone pills per capita were sold in the county – the highest number in the state.

Endo Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Opana, has announced that it will reformulate Opana to make the pills crush-proof. In the meantime, the crushable form of Opana is still readily available. Since Endo’s announcement, rural areas have seen an uptick in pharmacy robberies that involve Opana.

Opana is potentially deadly upon every use and those who are getting caught in the web of opiate dependency  should seek treatment for opana addiction.

It’s been a year since law enforcement agencies in Florida began to crack down on “pill mills” that were responsible for the widespread distribution of prescription painkillers like oxycodone (marketed under the names OxyContin, Roxicodone and Oxyfast). This week, Governor Scott is calling the efforts of regional law enforcement teams a success, with 213 pill mill clinics shut down in the past year. The Governor also stated that nearly half a million pills were taken off the streets and more than 2000 drug-related arrests were made.

You Still Have a Little More Work To Do Sorry

Despite this impressive arrest record, Florida still appears to have more work to do in ridding itself of its prescription drug problem. The number of statewide deaths from prescription drugs dropped only 8 percent between 2010 and 2011. Prescription drugs still kill more people than illegal drugs in the state.  Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi admits that Florida still has a long way to go in the fight against prescription drug abuse.

A couple of shocking statistics that we have shared here but bear repeating:

• Purdue Pharmaceuticals revenue for OxyContin alone in 2010 was:  $ 3,084,262,027.00
• Number of prescriptions written for Hydrocodone (Vicodin) in the U.S in 2010 was: 106,777,390
• “According to recent estimates, Florida prescribes ten times more oxycodone pills than all other states combined. ” (U.S. Attorney Wifredo A .Ferrer stated recently)
• The United States makes up only 4.6 percent of the world’s population, but consumes 80 percent of its opioids — and 99 percent of the world’s hydrocodone (the opiate that is in Vicodin)
• 1 in 5 U.S. adults taking meds for Psychological Disorders

It’s no wonder that practices like the above have led to rampant  prescription drug abuse in the United States.

In order for changes to happen, policies must be changed. Awareness must be raised.  That is why StopOxy is here doing what we do.

Website: http://www.thesethfoundation.org

Seth’s story is a ‘must read’  because it is written in a very compelling and moving manner – go straight to that page here.  Seth was like many of those that contact us, he struggled with addiction after experimenting recreationally and getting hooked.  Seth was from the San Diego, California area.

Seth ended up dying of a heroin overdose, but as it says in the story:

Seth first started with simple over-the-counter medications like soma and vicodin and progressed to oxycontin. Why not, at $5 a pill, and readily available at school and from his friends, they were easy. No mess, nothing to hide, and the “Narc’s” at school would never know. That was less than two years ago

The family, after suffering the greatest of losses, made the decision to turn their experience into a beacon of hope for those that may still be saved.

We hold this type of activism in the highest regard and we are honored to be able to read Seth’s story on the web and we commend his Mother Karen and everyone else who is using this tragedy in a way so that it may help others.

Westlake Village - Scene of a Huge Oxy Fraud Scandal

California is also seeing the effects of this startling increase in painkiller abuse; not just through the actions of the addicts, but the criminals who supply them. In this case, two doctors, among others, are at fault, resulting in untold costs to taxpayers.

In October 2011, authorities discovered an illegal operation involving OxyContin and Medicare fraud, which led to the arrest of 10 people, of which two were physicians.

This OxyContin ring, centered in a Westlake medical facility, involved doctors that wrote unnecessary prescriptions out to the names of Medi-Cal and Medicare patients, some of whom were victims of identity theft. The public insurance associations then footed the bill for the pills.

This permitted the ring to receive the medication at a steeply discounted price, making a significant amount of money when they resold the drugs on the street, anywhere from $23 to $25 dollars for one pill. This resulted in an estimated illegal profit of about $25 million. The ringleader profited from a network of recruiters that would bring in Medicare and Medi-Cal patients to the clinic, where they would be prescribed the pills by doctors, even if the drug was unnecessary for medical treatment. Though some patients’ public insurance numbers had been stolen in order to bill, in some instances the patients were paid off to lend their numbers; between $300 and $500. The ring then billed Medicare and Medi-Cal using a company run by one of the directors of the Westlake facility.

This case holds a lot of importance for the West Coast: it is the first of its kind to be prosecuted in the area. It also unites two new kinds of cases, drug trafficking organizations and fraud against government-run and taxpayer-supported insurance programs. This kind of crime is a blatant indication of prescription drug abuse in California that has only increased over the last 10 to 15 years; along with the number of deaths resulting from overdoses.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007, 12,000 people died from an opioid overdose. The augmented availability of opioid drugs may have a direct correlation with the increase in their abuse. The CDC  reported a 400% rise in the prescribing of pain medication over an 18-year span, starting in 1991. California has also seen the results of this wave of drug abuse: according to the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs, over the last five years, the number of OxyContin addicts seeking treatment has almost doubled.

Good footage from AlJazeera from Kabul about Afghani smugglers.
If you don’t understand the connection to an American pharmaceutical company, it is briefly like so:

- OxyContin is a narcotic painkiller that is incredibly addictive

- Street value of an OxyContin pill is over $50

- Users of OxyContin (or other opioids) who become addicted experience incredibly painful emotional and physical withdrawals without the drug

- Street value of a hit of heroin is $5-$10 and produces the same effect as OxyContin

I am sure you can piece together the rest of the puzzle as to why Purdue Pharmas billion dollar drug that is basically “legal heroin” has fueled a global trade that also funds Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations.