PAINKILLER IN DEMAND ON STREET

PRINCE ALBERT -- Drug abuse has prompted local doctors and pharmacists
to restrict the sale of a powerful painkiller.

They are getting behind a campaign to limit the amount of dilaudid
given to patients by prescribing a generic version of the painkiller
known as hydromorphone. The move is an effort to reduce the number of
people abusing the drug on the street.

Crushed dilaudid pills are easily dissolvable, resulting in minimal
residue left inside an IV needle. Generic hydromorphone tablets,
however, do not easily dissolve and frequently plug needles.

Dilaudid pills have a higher street value.

Dr. Leo Lanoie, medical health officer for the Prince Albert Parkland
Health Region, supports the move to generic hydromorphone and is
urging local doctors to also stop prescribing dilaudid to their patients.

That's despite Lanoie's belief that greater doses of generic
hydromorphone are often needed to treat patients for pain.

"I've had people tell me that it doesn't work as well, and I believe
that," Lanoie said. "From my point of view as a physician, I find that
I have to give a little bit more to get the same amount of bang."

In a recent letter to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Saskatchewan, Lanoie called Prince Albert the dilaudid capital of the
province. In the last few years, he said 75 per cent of the drug
prescribed in Saskatchewan has come from Prince Albert.

And while restricting the sale of dilaudid won't solve the amount of
the drug on the street, Lanoie hopes the decision will at least
prevent others from having easier access to it.

He said local doctors don't want to be part of the city's drug
problem.

"We always knew that whenever we prescribed dilaudid for someone for
pain, there was always the risk that it would end up being diverted
for intravenous drug use," Lanoie said.

"We're not kidding ourselves . . . but still, when drugs are too easy
for people to get, it's easier for people to get started."

Lanoie has already had one of his patients specifically request
generic hydromorphone over dilaudid to deal with his pain. The patient
said he preferred the generic version of the drug because it was less
valuable on the street and he wouldn't be bothered by local drug users.

However, the decision is not going over well with some pharmacies in
the city. One pharmacist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in
part because of the backlash her store has received on the issue, said
many people have complained over the last few months because they can
no longer get dilaudid.

But while it may be bad for business, Chris Monette, a staff
pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart, recently sent out a letter urging
pharmacists to support the idea.

He said cases where dilaudid is required over generic hydromorphone,
such as where allergies are a problem, are rare.

"Dilaudid is tremendously abused in this area of the country," Monette
said.

"There are very few cases where a brand-name dilaudid is required over
a generic."

A member of the joint forces unit of the RCMP has also sent a letter
to the College of Physicians and Surgeons in support of restricting
the number of dilaudid prescriptions in Prince Albert due to its high
street value.