NEWS: The Age - 02/03/07 'Drug users target powerful painkiller' (OxyContin)

[hoptis]

Drug users target powerful painkiller
Carol Nader
March 2, 2007

STATE health authorities are concerned that a prescription drug used to relieve severe pain is being obtained fraudulently and misused.

The drug, OxyContin, is an opioid prescribed for people with conditions such as cancer and severe joint pain.

For years its misuse has been a problem in the United States, where it has been dubbed "hillbilly heroin".

The Department of Human Services has issued two alerts to doctors in recent months, urging caution when supplying prescriptions for OxyContin.

An alert issued late last year said that in some cases drug-dependent people feigned pain and presented forged hospital discharge letters citing a diagnosis of cancer or another painful condition. It said some drug-seekers may ask doctors to prescribe high-dose forms, which could be sold for $1 a milligram.

Since 2004, the department has prosecuted six doctors for inappropriately prescribing narcotic drugs. But in other cases, doctors are making innocent blunders after being duped.

Australian Medical Association president Mukesh Haikerwal said he had had cases where people had asked for large quantities of the drug. "But I have very strict criteria for prescribing it and if I give someone a month's supply, they won't get the whole month in one hit," he said.

The company that distributes the drug in Australia, Mundipharma, is aware of potential misuse. Managing director Cornelia Hentzsch said the company was working with state health authorities.

"OxyContin tablets are a strong narcotic analgesic, and Mundipharma has always been concerned about their potential for misuse," Dr Hentzsch said.

She said Mundipharma had adopted a number of measures, including conducting education sessions for doctors and pharmacists on safe prescribing, and asking health authorities to alert the company to any geographical trends in misuse.

The company recommends that doctors do not prescribe narcotic analgesics if they are in any doubt about the patient requiring the product.

A police spokeswoman said sometimes people tried to sell or barter their prescribed medication to obtain illegal drugs. "This presents problems for police such as erratic behaviour of offenders, management of affected persons in custody as well as driving under the influence of a mix of illicit and prescription drugs."

Turning Point addiction medicine specialist Nick Lintzeris said some people appropriately were prescribed OxyContin for long-standing chronic pain but others obtained the medication "through over-exaggerating or falsifying symptoms".

"Some people are going to be having some major health problems from the misuse of these medications," he said. "In some cases it will contribute to overdose deaths, for other people it will be non-fatal overdoses that can result in long-standing and serious complications."

The Age

 

[New Beginning]

A Tiger in Africa?

Turning Point addiction medicine specialist Nick Lintzeris said some people appropriately were prescribed OxyContin for long-standing chronic pain but others obtained the medication "through over-exaggerating or falsifying symptoms".

This reminds me of a scene from Monty Python's 'The Meaning of Life'...

- - -

Livingstone: Morning. I came as fast as I could. Is something up?

Ainsworth: Yes, during the night old Perkins had his leg bitten sort of... off.

Livingstone: Ah hah!? Been in the wars have we? Any headache, bowels all right? Well, let's have a look at this one leg of yours then. Yes... yes... yes... yes... yes... yes... well, this is nothing to worry about.

Perkins: Oh good.

Livingstone: There's a lot of it about, probably a virus, keep warm, plenty of rest, and if you're playing football or anything try and favour the other leg.

- - -

 

[MDPVagrant]

This is news? In 2007?? 8(

 

[technoHarmony]

This is news? In 2007?? 8(

i dunno, oxys and pharms in general arent big around here (syd). or maybe just not within my 'scene'.

wish it was big though

the only opiate users i know are codeine, H and rarely morphine users.

 

[peaked]

Well this isn't particularly surprising. The government has been quite vocal about the large decrease in use of heroin over the past few years, but the opiate users have simply switched from the overpriced product of unknown purity that is heroin, to the pharmaceutical opiates of the highest purity and at a known dose.

 

[phase_dancer]

but the opiate users have simply switched from the overpriced product of unknown purity that is heroin, to the pharmaceutical opiates of the highest purity and at a known dose.

I can't speak for all "ex" heroin users, but I've been told by a couple of oxy users that this is exactly what they've done. One guy I ran into a couple of years ago said he did have a bad back, which on x-ray looks nasty, yet the truth be known he isn't in that much pain. Yet he reckoned he'd secured himself a guaranteed legal supply of the drug, which was far better then the alternatives; methadone or an intermittent heroin market.

 

[DoctorShop]

Maybe I'm not in the right circles anymore but Oxycontin isn't as prevalent as it once was. I also think it is way overpriced. The article quotes oxy's being sold for $1/mg, thats generally true if your source isn't too much of a prick. Without quoting prices I think someone with no knowledge of this scene will be ripped off and charged double etc.

 

[Splatt]

Oxycontin costs heaps even in a chemist, but Endone doesn't, and you can use a health card.

 

[person]

Oxycontin in NZ is quite hefty price for a prescription, whereas morphine is heavily govt subsidised, very cheap but yet more than what Oxy costs on the street.

 

[DoctorShop]

Thats why everyone is into homebake at the moment. Grab some grays and aa and presto, you have a form of heroin.

 

[phase_dancer]

According to MIMs PBS pricings, oxycodon is worth between a few cents each milligram * ( 20 x 80mg) to ~1/4 of that mentioned in the article (20 x 5mg), so there's certainly profit potential on the BM.

* Edit: added "milligram"

 

[Splatt]

There definitely is. I know a guy who used to swap me 4 x 20mg for a stick of bush very happily. He has major pain from breaking his neck in the past after a nasty fall at work. He says weed is better for the pain, it lets him ignore it easier, where as opiate tolerance is fucked and you need more and more. He dumps about 8 a day minimum of OC20s. I've heard stories of people slamming upto a gram into their vein a day to keep the pain away, who are wheel-chair bound in extreme pain.