Pubdate: Wed, 13 Mar 2002
Source: Badger Herald (WI)
Copyright: 2002 Badger Herald
Contact: http://www.badgerherald.com/about/contact_staff.shtml
Website: http://www.badgerherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/711
Author: Chris Nietupski, News Reporter
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?186 (Oxycontin)

OXYCONTIN GAINS POPULARITY AS A RECREATIONAL DRUG

Even with a thriving academic atmosphere such as UW-Madison's, drug use has 
a presence on campus. In this series, The Badger Herald will examine the 
drug culture at UW. Today, we look at the use of OxyContin and the lengths 
some take to obtain the prescription painkiller. Tomorrow, we examine drugs 
commonly used in bars, such as cocaine.

A 34-year-old man was arrested Sunday for the attempted theft of the drug 
OxyContin from an East Side medical facility. This was the third attempted 
theft of the drug in Madison just this year.

OxyContin, produced by Purdue Pharma LP, is the strongest prescription 
painkiller on the market. It is a trade name product for the generic 
narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, an opiate agonist. The drug provides pain 
relief by acting on opioid receptors in the spinal cord, brain and possibly 
in the tissues directly. When used properly, OxyContin is designed to 
provide 12 hours of relief for patients with bone pain or cancer or for 
those waiting to have surgery.

Recreational use of OxyContin has risen among young adults due to the 
effects of the time-release pill as it breaks down. When the drug is 
crushed, injected or snorted, the intense reaction is felt all at once and 
is similar to that of heroin.

Until 1999, OxyContin abusers were located primarily in eastern states such 
as Maine, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. However, a rise in 
pharmacy robberies, prescription forgeries and street sales in Wisconsin 
have indicated that the drug's popularity is moving west.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, the price of one 
10-milligram tablet purchased with a prescription is $1.25, but on the 
street it may sell for $5 to $10. More recent estimates by the Milwaukee 
District office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration say the street 
value rose to $30 to $60 per pill.

Nate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, talked about the possibility 
of trying OxyContin.

"Oh heck yeah, I would," he said. "People have friends that can find it. I 
wouldn't pay too much for it, though."

He said he prefers to stick to other lower-cost options with similar reactions.

"I've used Vicodin, Percoset and muscle relaxers," he continued. "You take 
as many as you can get to get f*cked up and start flying. It's like a real 
intensified drunkenness, and every now and then you might see things."

UW junior Brett Rehm said he believes part of the blame for the increase in 
use of OxyContin can be placed on physicians.

"It seems like doctors prescribe things like Oxy without thinking," Rehm 
said. "They went out of control."

A high school football injury requiring two knee surgeries left Rehm on a 
steady dose of morphine and codeine to handle the pain.

"I'm a big guy," Rehm said. "And when a big guy doesn't need Oxy, I don't 
see why anybody does. There seems to be other solutions available."

Despite the trends, pharmacists will not take OxyContin off their shelves 
because of the benefits it provides to those in need. The long-lasting pill 
works quickly, so its intended users can function during the day and sleep 
at night. In order to equal the relief supplied by OxyContin, a person 
needs to consume large doses of aspirin, which could cause damage to the liver.

Roxicodone and Percoset, along with other painkillers on the market, last 
only four to five hours and may take an hour to begin working, meaning a 
daily routine is continually interrupted and a decent night of sleep 
becomes impossible.

Although pharmacists say taking it off the shelves is not an option, they 
do take precautions when dealing with OxyContin.

Because of the concern surrounding the drug, Madison-area pharmacists only 
spoke on conditions of anonymity to protect the pharmacy and avoid 
attracting attention.

"We have no official policy and no changes to normal screening," said a 
Madison area pharmacist. "But we have to avoid using company names. We 
haven't been robbed, but the potential is always there."

Pharmacies in the Dane County area say they rely on each other to crack 
down on illegal users. If someone is caught falsifying prescriptions, all 
pharmacies must notify one another in a chain sequence, while physicians 
may also report anything suspicious. Additionally, a one-week waiting 
period may be required after the initial prescription is ordered.

"There are good reasons for keeping [OxyContin]," another pharmacist said. 
"Nothing else will take the pain away [as well]. It is a long-acting pill 
that is the most used out there and just happens to be getting a lot of press."

He also said taking the proper steps makes incidents less likely.

"We have only had one situation where someone was at the counter with a 
false prescription," he added. "Over at our [other] site, a lady was caught 
because she used different-colored pens when forging the prescription."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom