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OXYCONTIN FAST-RISING PLAGUE ON COUNTY

DAVIS COUNTY - Increasing abuse of the prescription drug OxyContin has led to the arrest of a few medical doctors and pharmacists in Davis County and a robbery Friday at Bountiful's Walgreens.  An apparent "run" on OxyContin, leading to illegal activities, began in May, Salt Lake City physician Dr.  Alexander Theodore was arrested for allegedly running an OxyContin drug ring.  Police charged that he had prescribed nearly 74,000 tablets over the previous 12-16 months.  Similar busts have been made in Davis County over the past four months.

Pharmacist Sheryl Ledet from Dick's Market in Centerville was charged this past Friday with third degree possession and prescription fraud after she was accused of doubling up on a prescription.  She would allegedly fill her prescription at the Centerville Albertson's ( where she worked part time ), and then again at Dicks, according to Lt.  Don Child of the Centerville Police Department.

"It is not uncommon to encounter people with the illegal possession of OxyContin," said Child.

Several pharmacists and physicians in other parts of Davis County have also been arrested in connection with the over-prescribed drug OxyContin, according to a Davis Metro Narcotics agent.

"Many people will have a surgery and will start out legitimately using it, then they get addicted to it.  If you don't take it properly, larger doses can hook you very fast," said the agent.

"People have the conception that it isn't like cocaine or meth because the doctors prescribe it." he said.  "They think that state laws on the prescribed drugs protect them from addictions,"

There are many people who want help and are afraid to come forward, according to the agent.

"Housewives in the area have broken into homes of neighbors to obtain the drug.  Home health care providers also will take a few pills from patients," said the Metro agent.  "There are a lot of people who will go to several doctors from Provo to Logan to get the drug," a practice called "doctor shopping."

OxyContin affects a wide range of audiences - housewives, businessmen, health-care providers and young adults.  One woman in a prominent Davis County family even was reported to have thrown herself down the stairs so that her injury would allow her to obtain more OxyContin.

"When I was addicted, I was buying Oxycontin from a paraplegic who had a prescription and was bedridden," said a graduate of Bountiful High School in his mid 20s, and a former OxyContin addict.

After having been clean for two years, he says many of his friends from the Centerville and Bountiful area are still addicted.

"I hadn't even heard of OxyContin until about 2001," said the former OxyContin addict.  "Then I started trading in Percocet and Lortab for 20 milligrams of Oxycontin."

In order to be able to snort it in the morning, there were many instances when he would have to crush the OxyContin the night before.  That's because often he awoke too shaky to crush the pills at that time.

"The anxiety ( induced by the drug ) is the worst thing about it," he said.

"There were some days I just wanted to jump out of my skin and kill myself, it was so bad."

Pharmacies have also seen an increase in demand in prescriptions for the drug.

"Use of OxyContin has more than doubled in the last three years," said Debra Omner, a pharmacist from Bountiful.

"With this type of medication a tolerance for the drug will develop.  It seems to develop even quicker on OxyContin," said Omner.

"There are legitimate reasons to use the drug OxyContin," she said.  "People with terrible chronic diseases get their quality of life back."

"As a pharmacist you feel like a policeman all the time, like you have to watch everybody that comes in," said Omner.