Prescription drug dangers outlined for Rotarians

WEIRTON - The members of the Rotary Club of Weirton Heights learned about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and addiction during its meeting Tuesday.

Andy Powell, of the Nursing Corps in Wintersville, served as the week's guest speaker and discussed the increase in the usage, abuse and addiction to prescription medications.

Powell explained addiction to prescription drugs has been growing in many areas of the country, including West Virginia and the Ohio Valley.

"It's big around here," Powell said, adding statistics have shown that drug overdoses are the top killer of people under the age of 45 in the state.

He explained most addicts start out denying they have a problem, and many times the disease is either inherited or learned by watching family.

He also warned many of those who are abusing and becoming addicted to prescription drugs are younger, saying a survey of teens has shown 33 percent have said they can get their hands on prescription drugs within a day. He also discussed what are referred to as "farming parties," where teens go through their family medicine cabinets, grabbing whatever pills they can find. During the parties, all the pills are mixed together and the teens pick a few and take the medicines without knowing what they are or what they do.

Powell said the majority of the prescription drugs abused today are those for pain or anxiety.

"Unfortunately, we've become a society where there's a pill for every ill," Powell said.

Powell said oxycodone use has increased by 59.7 million, or 166 percent, in recent years, with amphetamine use rising by 463 percent, or 26.3 million; methadone by 11.7 million or 800 percent; and hydrocodone by 3.7 million or 94 percent.

One of the reasons for the rise, Powell said, is the creation of online pharmacies, many of which are located outside of the United States and do not have to meet federal or state guidelines.

Powell explained while West Virginia does have a prescription monitoring program, where pharmacies periodically send information to the state, there is nothing to require doctors or anyone else to necessarily check with that database. In addition, since there is no national database, Powell said, there is no way to know if people have gotten a variety of prescriptions in different states.

Powell said some of the easiest things to do to help prevent these addictions is to better educate people, no matter their age, on the use of these drugs. He also suggested families pay better attention to their loved ones and to find them help if they see a problem.

(Howell can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com)