A PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROBLEM

Mitchell County Sheriff says 75 percent of drug cases involve
prescription drugs

Ten years ago drug cases in Mitchell County dealt mostly with illegal
drugs like marijuana, methamphetamines, and cocaine. Maybe even a
little white liquor.

Now, prescription drugs dominate the scene.

"I'd say about 75 percent of our cases deal with prescription drugs,"
said Mitchell County Sheriff Ken Fox.

And the hardest part about working the cases is that at some point the
drugs were obtained legally with a prescription. There are no illegal
labs to bust, no shipments to stop, and no main source to go after.

And, when used correctly, prescription drugs are useful and
necessary.

"They are wonderful, if used properly," said Bakersville Medical
Clinic Director Reid Duncan.

The problem is there are a group of people who is not using them in
the way they were intended. They are selling off medication or abusing
it themselves.

Duncan said there are even people trying to get into the boxes where
doctors throw their used needles, either to get at the leftover
medication or to get the needles to reuse them.

The clinic has had problems with people forging prescriptions,
stealing prescription pads, altering prescriptions. Duncan said many
prescriptions are being faxed directly to the pharmacy to avoid
problems. The new prescription pads are tamper proof.

In 2012, medical offices will be required to have electronic
prescription capability. Medicare is driving the electronic
prescriptions, he said.

In the end, some people just resort to lying to get another
prescription.

"We have heard more stories about people who have lost their pain
medication," Duncan said.

Duncan said they have resorted to drug testing some patients to make
sure they have the proper amount of medication in their system and
doing pill counts.

Blue Ridge Regional Hospital has taken measures to cut down on
prescription abuse, also, said Director of Marketing and Public
Relations Sara A. Thompson.

Physicians are required to secure their prescription pads each night
and no narcotics are being kept at the doctors' offices. In the
hospital, the pads are locked up behind the nurses stations.

The hospital has installed a Pyxis system which requires a fingerprint
identification to gain access to medication. The system also regulates
dosage.

Dr. Steven Hill said he is just more conservative in prescribing drugs
for pain. He writes few prescriptions, so they are easier to track.

Still, there are enough cases floating around to keep local law
enforcement officials busy.

"We can always count on 'scrips' to give us job security," said Spruce
Pine Police Detective Stacey Hughes. "It is a lot bigger problem than
people realize."

He has worked cases where the prescriptions have been 'washed' or
altered for the directions, amounts of pills, even the
medications.

"The forgeries come in on a regular basis," he said.

For those that are selling the pills, Hughes said there is just one
motive.

"Greed, pure and simple greed," he said.

Pills can sell anywhere from $4 or $5 a pill to a $1 per milligram. He
said OxyContin is one of the drugs that can go for $1 per milligram.

Doing the math, if someone sells 100 40-milligram pills at $1 per
milligram it equals $4,000. If the seller is using Medicaid to get the
medication for a $1 a pill, that is $3,900 worth of profit.

For the person abusing the drug, Hughes said they sometimes get over
their heads before they know what is going on. They start out treating
pain, but as the pain lessens, they do not reduce the medication.
Soon, they are addicted, and begin treating the addiction.

Hughes said he has seen cases where people hurt themselves on purpose
to get more pain medication. He has seen cases where people have their
teeth pulled unnecessarily to get more pills.

Abusing the prescription drugs can also be deadly.

"All our drug overdose deaths have been prescription drugs," said
Fox.

The two drugs being named are Methadone and Fentanyl.

"Around here, I would say the king is Methadone overdose," said
Hughes.

Fox said people do not realize that Methadone metabolizes slower than
other drugs, meaning it stays in your system longer. If the person
abusing it keeps adding more on top of what is in their system, it is
easy to overdose.

Hughes and Fox said most doctors are stuck between a rock and a hard
place.

"By far, most doctors try to treat people's pain," Fox
said.

The only way a doctor measures pain is by what the patient can tell
them, said Hughes.

Fox said patients need to watch their pills, keep them counted and
secure. There needs to be more education on what affects the drugs
have on the body.

Finally, we need better long-term rehabilitation programs. Fox said
the only way to kick the pills is to be away from them for a good long
while.

"These narcotics are very addictive, very addictive," Fox
said.

One thing is for sure.

"The days of just marijuana and white liquor are long gone," Hughes
said.