By Lexie V. Owen
Prescription drug abuse is on the rise according to a recent assessment of the Grant County Drug Court program done by the Marion Chronicle Tribune.
Twelve percent were listed as prescription drug abusers in 2009, but those numbers went up to 22.8 percent in 2010 and 2011.
Some addicts are taking extreme measures to satisfy their cravings. According to Gas City Police Chief Kirk McCollum, many will resort to violence, theft and prescription forgery.
"Sometimes it will lead to other types of crimes," McCollum said. "And if they're driving impaired because of the medicine, that's a danger to the community."
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Twelve percent were listed as prescription drug abusers in 2009, but those numbers went up to 22.8 percent in 2010 and 2011.[/caption]
The most addictive prescription drugs are basic narcotics, according to Dr. Jennifer Clamme, a doctor of internal medicine at Reliant Healthcare in Hartford City. Morphine, opium and oxycodone are particularly addictive ingredients.
"A lot of people get put on Vicodin for something as simple as a back ache and then they get stuck on it," Cramme said. "Then you have patients who want the higher level which are morphine based or oxycodone based."
Besides basic pain medicine like Vicodin, people can also become addicted to drugs associated with calming anxiety, such as Xanax and Valium.
"They usually start with something like a panic disorder," Clamme explained, "something legitimate. To get the same effect you require higher and higher doses."
Clamme feels there are appropriate occasions to prescribe narcotics, but approaches the situation with extreme caution. After a long discussion with her patients regarding the dangers, Clamme has her patients sign a contract stating they will be dismissed from her office if they abuse the drug.
Though an individual's personal abuse of prescription drugs are being closely monitored, some doctors are also asking for regular urine tests to be sure patients are actually taking their drugs. Sometimes the issue is not that patients are taking the drugs inappropriately. Other problems include patients acquiring drugs to sell on the street.
Nikki Swain, certified technician at the Upland Health and Diagnostic center, encountered one such person a few years ago when she was working behind the desk at the pharmacy.
A man in a sock cap entered the center with a firearm and demanded a bag be filled with high-potency prescription drugs.
"It was Norco, Vicodin, pain medication," Swain said. "Opiates. All the things that were sellable for higher prices. He was addicted to more of the pain medications that he'd asked for at the end."
Swain claims this man was part of a ring of prescription drug thieves from the Mississippi area.
But the most common drug related issues do not involve burglaries or hold-ups. Over the last few years, hospital emergency rooms have seen a significant increase in demands and requests for narcotics.
"A lot of drug related issues happen in an emergency room," Clamme said. "That's why doctors are reluctant to give them out."Some hospitals have put in a policy that do not allow the prescription of narcotics. Other medical professionals, including Clamme, are taking strides to prevent both addiction and the crimes associated with it.
