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Pain Medications May Be Killing More than Pain
by Kathleen Kelley

According to New Hampshire Public Radio, in a two-day period in April, three young people in Dover and Rochester died of drug overdoses. Prescription medications – not heroin or cocaine – played a role in all of them.

The abuse of prescription drugs, from oxycontin to morphine to methadone, is a growing but little-understood problem in New Hampshire. Our Providers at CCFHS have been studying our policies surrounding prescribing pain medication over the past two months. Dr. Mitchell Sullivan warns, “Unfortunately, the problem goes beyond teens, as there are adults with similar issues. And identification of a patient with addiction does not always help, as addiction facilities frequently prescribe suboxone which has become another drug of abuse. Our community has a serious problem with prescription drug misuse and we, as providers, will continue to work on ways to reduce this.”

Prescription drug abuse by teens and young adults is a serious problem in the United States. As reported in the Partnership for a Drug Free America’s annual tracking study:

• 1 in 5 teens has abused a prescription (Rx) pain medication
• 1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers
• 1 in 10 has abused cough medication

Many teens think these drugs are safe because they have legitimate uses, but taking them without a prescription to get high or “self-medicate” can be as dangerous – and addictive – as using street narcotics and other illicit drugs. Medications can be abused in a number of ways. Some teens simply swallow the pills or drink liquids; others may crush pills before snorting or smoking the powder. Still others melt or dissolve the medications and then inject them. Another popular way of abusing prescription drugs is to mix them with alcohol and street drugs into “cocktails.” Oxycontin, the addict’s gold standard, can cost upwards of $80 a pill, so teens are stealing to keep the habit going!

In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control reported that New Hampshire was tied for fourth in the nation for the number of methadone deaths. Drug overdose deaths jumped more than 400 percent from 1995 to 2007, when 168 people died. That was more people than died in car accidents.

Detective Plourde of the Berlin Police Department has been investigating prescription drug deaths, and crimes in our area. Detective Plourde says, “During the past few years, several people have died of drug overdoses in Berlin.” The drugs come from a variety of sources, from the family medicine cabinet to drug dealers to doctors who overprescribe. One of the reasons, experts say, is that people mistakenly believe that prescription drugs are safe. Surveys show that more than a third of teenagers and adults think it’s not dangerous to occasionally take prescription medications to get high. But opiates, especially methadone, can kill quickly.
Various towns and counties have made valiant efforts at reducing the abuse. After eight people died in Laconia in 2007, the Laconia police department and the Belknap County Sherriff’s department created a public outreach program, according to Elaine Davis of NHPR. For several years, the state of NH Attorney General’s office, the medical society, and others tried to get lawmakers to pass a statewide prescription drug monitoring program. The idea is to track doctor-shoppers – people who go from doctor to doctor seeking multiple prescriptions. But, the effort failed three times, leaving New Hampshire as the only New England state without one.
The NH Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Services runs 10 regional substance abuse coalitions devoted to fighting underage drinking. DHHS does spend $2 million annually on prevention programs. The Attorney General’s office is building a new statewide task force to address the prescription drug issue. As reported by NHPR Elaine Davis, the Assistant Attorney General Philip Bradley says the new task force will attempt to address medical, law enforcement, and public health issues.

Tips for Parents from Partnership for a Drug Free America:
Educate, Communicate, Safeguard

Educate Yourself:
• Educate yourself about medications that kids are abusing, and share this information with others who are in contact with your children – school administrators, coaches, counselors, etc. Both Berlin High School and Gorham High School offer annual parent (community training).

Communicate With Your Kids:
• Discuss the subject with your teenagers. See what your kids know about peers using medications without doctors’ orders. Preliminary research shows teens believe experimenting with medications are safer than street drugs. Abuse of medications can be lethal.
• Set clear expectations with your teenagers, letting them know that under no circumstances should they ever take medications without your knowledge.

Safeguard Medications at Home and Other Places:
• Ask your CCFHS provider if any medications prescribed for your family have a potential for abuse.
• Take an inventory of Rx and Over-the-Counter medications in your home and in the home of your close relatives. Pay attention to quantities.
• Keep medications out of reach – and out of easily accessible places like the medicine cabinet.
• If your child needs medications during school hours, speak with school officials about policies for distributing medications to students. Both Berlin and Gorham High Schools request that parents personally take the medications to the school nurse. Make sure unused medications are returned to you.