BY KEITH LACEY
On the street, itÂ?s most commonly known as Â?hillbilly heroin.Â? Other names include Â?oxyÂ?, Â?killerÂ? and Â?OcÂ?s.Â?
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OxyContin is the trademark name for the controlled-release narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, which is similar to morphine. It is designed to be released slowly over time into the body.
Since it was being introduced on a widespread basis in North American in the mid-1990s, it has become the most frequently prescribed painkiller for cancer-related symptoms and chronic pain.
There was a 450 percent increase in the number of oxycodone-prescribed drugs in Canada between 1999 and 2003.
One personÂ?s pain medication has become another personÂ?s cheap high. People are starting to abuse the drug known to provide a euphoric, heroin-like buzz because itÂ?s much cheaper than the real thing.
When prescribed properly, it is recognized as the finest drug of its kind in relieving chronic, debilatating pain. When abused, it can kill.
Two weeks ago in Timmins, two teenagers lost their lives after overdosing on painkillers. ItÂ?s believed they crushed the pill, taking away its time-release feature, snorted it and died.
Problem in Greater Sudbury
Sgt. Peter Orsino, head of the Greater Sudbury Police drug squad, said OxyContin and other oxycodone-based drugs have become a major problem in this community.
Â?ItÂ?s a huge problem...probably the fastest-growing drug addiction problem we see on the streets today,Â? said Orsino.
Â?For several years, there was a strong black market for Percosets (another oxycodone-based prescription drug), but this is far worse because this drug is way stronger and far more addictive.Â?
OxyContin has become popular in rural areas with lesser access to street drugs. It has been linked to seven deaths in Newfoundland and Labrador, and 22 deaths in Nova Scotia.
In the United States, the overdose death of more than 1,000 young people has been directly linked to OxyContin in the past two years.
Last week, following the deaths of the two teens in Timmins, SudburyÂ?s largest school board issued a statement warning students about the dangers of prescription drugs purchased on the street.
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Orsino said a recent rash of robberies at Sudbury and area pharmacies are directly related to the increase in OxyContin abuse and addiction.
Â?OxyContin has become the drug of choice for all intravenous drugs users in this community,Â? he said. Â?They take the pills, crush them, add water and inject.
Â?Crushing the pills takes away the time-release factor, and basically the drug becomes a powerful substitute for heroin, but this stuff is now much more accessible and cheaper than heroin.Â?
Depending on the strength, OxyContin pills are regularly traded on the street for between $10 and $40, said Orsino.
Orsino said Â?itÂ?s impossibleÂ? to accurately report how many OxyContin addicts there are in the community.
However, he said the drug and associated problems have become increasingly prevalent with each passing year.
Â?ItÂ?s impossible to say how many addicts there are, but I can say the number of robberies and other crime-related problems associated with this drug are increasing with each year,Â? he said.
Â?Like any other addictive drug, once people are hooked, they need to sustain the habit, and many are willing to resort to criminal activity because
thereÂ?s no other way to get their fix...when they come down, it hurts bad and they need another hit.Â?
Numerous pharmacies in southern Ontario, and at least one in Greater Sudbury, have stopped stocking OxyContin and many other oxycodone-based pills, said Orsino.
The justice system is Â?starting to come down hardÂ? on pushers who deal OxyContin because Â?its effects are equal to those associated with heroin,Â?
he said.
Awareness and education are crucial whenever people start abusing one particular drug. Orsino regularly makes presentations to school children and other groups about the dangers of using and abusing prescription drugs, particularly oxycodone-based drugs, because theyÂ?re so addictive.
Â?My hope is because of the publicity and the two deaths in Timmins, that people will realize this stuff can ruin your life,Â? he said. Â?If anyone suspects people are dealing this stuff, contact the police...and if youÂ?re an addict, donÂ?t be afraid to come forward and weÂ?ll try and get them help
because there are a lot of good programs out there in this community.Â?
If Orsino could offer any word of advice, especially to young people, it would be to reject any suggestion to try what people with bad intentions will insist is a good, cheap way to get wasted.
Â?Just stay away from this stuff,Â? he said. Â?ItÂ?s very addictive and it will ruin your life.Â?
Dianne Gillis (not her real name), who has been a pharmacist for 12 years, said OxyContin is arguably the best drug on the market for people suffering from severe, chronic pain.
However, she acknowledges how much a problem the drug has become for people who abuse the drug for non-medical purposes.
Â?As long as there have been prescription drugs, there have been people who use them for things other than pain relief,Â? said Gillis.
Â?The problem is these are powerful, powerful pills, and they should never be taken for anything other than what they were prescribed for.
Â?They are highly addictive and they make you incredibly high, but the average person doesnÂ?t know this. They physically canÂ?t handle the dosage
and can become very, very ill.Â?
Pharmacists take an oath to serve their patients to the best of their ability and eradicating physical pain is a big part of the job.
Â?When I have a patient who comes in and says theyÂ?re in a lot of pain, but only want one kind of medication, it certainly raises a flag,Â? she said. Â?WeÂ?re in the business of relieving pain and we try our best to help the people who genuinely need a prescription.Â?
The problem has become severe enough, her store no longer stocks OxyContin.
Â?Addicts are willing to try many things, including robbery, to get what they want,Â? she said.
Â?My staff shouldnÂ?t have to be worried about being robbed, so we donÂ?t carry the stuff any more, and we make that quite clear when people walk in (with a big sign posted).Â?
The veteran pharmacist said it rattled her when she heard two young lives were lost in Timmins because they didnÂ?t know what they were getting themselves into.
Â?These are powerful narcotics and do a wonderful job when used properly, but when people abuse them and donÂ?t know what theyÂ?re doing, it can end tragically as it did in Timmins,Â? she said.
It also troubles her that patients who legitimately need OxyContin and other drugs are increasingly inconvenienced because of illicit use and abuse.
Â?If I have a 20-year-old coming in here asking for OxyContin, I want to know who he is and why he needs this,Â? she said.
If she believes thereÂ?s something seriously wrong, she no longer hesitates to call police.
Dr. Andre Michaud, a veteran emergency room physician, who is just starting his own general practice, said a big problem with prescription drugs is people donÂ?t realize just how potent they can be if not used properly.
Â?Problems only arise when people use narcotics when they donÂ?t have pain and they get in trouble. We prescribe with the best of intentions, but what happens to these drugs after we prescribe is out of our hands.Â?
Because of problems with drugs such as OxyContin, many doctors have introduced a policy where they Â?automatically do not renew prescriptionsÂ? for certain strong drugs, said Michaud.
George Murray, incoming president of the Canadian Pharmacy Association (CPHA), agrees the abuse of OxyContin and other oxycodone-based drugs has become a big concern for his association.
Â?Product growth has been huge and so have the problems associated with this drug.Â?
Murray agrees OxyContin is perhaps the best drug on the market for reducing chronic pain.
However, the problems with misuse and addiction have escalated wildly, he said.
While not pointing the finger directly at doctors, Murray believes a small percentage are causing a lot of the problems.
A recent report commissioned by the CPHA indicates Â?two percent of Canadian doctors were responsible for dispensing 25 percentÂ? of oxycodone-based drugs, said Murray, who has been a practising pharmacist for more than 20 years.
The problem with OxyContin addiction and misuse are now at the point where his association, health-care professionals and government leaders are going to have to concentrate on formulating prevention and treatment programs.
Like any other hard drug addiction, people who want to get help ought to have programs and resources available to them, he said.
