Tropes

R_www.futurity.org 2015 00010.txt.txt

#Heroin, painkiller addictions go hand-in-hand Heroin use has increased a staggering 63 percent over the last 10 years in the United Statesn increase made all the worse by the growing abuse of prescription opioids such as oxycodone (Percocet ), hydrocodone (Vicodin), and codeine. An alarming 45 percent of Americans addicted to heroin are addicted also to prescription opioids. To combat both the heroin and prescription opioid epidemic the Obama administration announced recently a new $13. 4 million program to curb access to both. The program will target illegal trafficking of the drugs in areas that have been particularly hard hit by the epidemic including Appalachia, New york, New jersey, Philadelphia, WASHINGTON DC, and Baltimore. Before moving to street-level trafficking, many prescription opioid addicts first try to obtain the drugs through pharmacies. Easy access to prescription opioids is largely behind this surge in use, researchers say. Prescription opioids appeal to addicts in a way that street drugs don, says Bree Watzak, assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Texas A&m University. f someone becomes addicted, they can walk into a safe, clean store and use their insurance to purchase them, unlike street drugs. oth prescription opioid and heroin addiction is growing significantly among the affluent and people with private insurance, two groups that historically have had relatively low rates of abuse, the CDC Vital Signs report says. People in these groups tend to move on to heroin only after being cut off from prescription opioids. e see that people tend to move on to street drugs after theye lost access to prescription opioids. It a progression, Watzak says. Most states have a prescription drug monitoring database that allows doctors and pharmacists to see if an individual is going to multiple doctors or pharmacies seeking prescriptions. he law says we have a corresponding responsibility to make sure that medications are used for legitimate medical purposes, says Watzak. harmacists are trained to recognize red flags and if we have concerns we can call the physician and ask them if theye aware of the red flags. eople who become addicted to prescription opioids don intend to use them for recreational purposes, Watzak says. eople typically use prescription opioids because theye been prescribed them by a physician for a legitimate reason, but then they like the way the drugs make them feel. rescription opioid addicts use a variety of methods to access the drugs, including exaggerating or inventing symptoms, doctor and pharmacy shopping, and forgery. When a pharmacist suspects a patient is addicted to prescription opioids theye advised to stage a mini-intervention with the patient and recommend treatment options. e never had to do it, Watzak says, ut Ie heard from colleagues who have said and theye they don go well. The patient typically doesn want to hear it at the time, but once theye clean they remember that a pharmacist tried to help them. he connection between prescription opioid abuse and heroin use is directly related to other public health issues, including the increasing rate of HIV infections and car accidents. This is particularly troubling as these issues put the patient at an increased likelihood of needing a legitimate prescription for opioids to aid in the recovery from a planned procedure or accident. f we know the patient has a history of addiction we can prescribe drugs in a different class, or only use the minimal dose, Watzak says, but it up to patients to disclose their addiction to their provider. Source: Texas A&m Universit h

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