{"id":56698,"date":"2012-03-20T08:46:33","date_gmt":"2012-03-20T12:46:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=56698"},"modified":"2012-03-22T08:17:17","modified_gmt":"2012-03-22T12:17:17","slug":"abuse-of-prescription-pain-pills-a-serious-and-growing-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2012\/03\/abuse-of-prescription-pain-pills-a-serious-and-growing-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"Abuse of Prescription Pain Pills \u2013 A Serious and Growing Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"
[yframe url=’http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W2B78YX8Aos&feature=youtu.be’]<\/div>\n

Rich Figlewski\u2019s addiction to painkillers began like so many others who get addicted to prescription drugs. After suffering a shoulder injury at work and having surgery, he began abusing the medications he was prescribed to alleviate the pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI began purchasing and stealing prescription opiates,\u201d says Figlewski. \u201cMy drug use began to spin out of control and so did my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the National Institutes of Health, an estimated 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons. Experts don’t know exactly why this type of drug abuse is increasing. The availability of drugs is probably one reason. Doctors are prescribing more drugs for more health problems than ever before.<\/p>\n

In Connecticut, drug poisoning is the leading cause of accidental death, and kills more people than vehicular accidents. Pain pills like Percocet, Vicodin, and OxyContin are the most commonly abused prescription drugs.<\/p>\n

\"Amy<\/a>
Amy Hanoian-Fontana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we mark National Poison Prevention Week, experts with the Connecticut Poison Control Center<\/a> (CPCC) say more attention needs to be paid to this growing public health problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cNearly every town in the state has experienced at least one opioid-related overdose death,\u201d says Amy Hanoian-Fontana<\/a>, community education specialist with the CPCC. \u201cAnd those impacted range across all categories of race, class, and geography.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of the reason for the increasing abuse of prescription drugs may be the misperceptions about their safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause these medications are prescribed by doctors, many assume they are safe to take under any circumstances,\u201d explains Hanoian-Fontana. \u201cUsing a medication other than as prescribed can potentially lead to a variety of adverse health effects, including overdose and addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Figlewski tried to commit suicide on Good Friday 2007. Instead he drove into a telephone pole and was arrested for driving under the influence. Ironically, that crash saved his life. It served as a wake-up call.<\/p>\n

\u201cI quit drinking, drugging, and have not used either substance since,\u201d explains Figlewski. \u201cI had lost my family, home, and was without hope. I knew if I continued doing what I was doing I would die, end up in jail, or in an institution.\u201d<\/p>\n

When taken as directed, opioids can be very effective in relieving pain. However, the body soon begins to develop a tolerance for the medication, so that the same dose of medication offers less pain relief and you begin to crave larger doses.<\/p>\n

Poison control experts offer these tips for patients taking pain medications:<\/p>\n