PEOPLE POPPING PAIN RELIEVERS AT AN ALARMING PACE

Q-C Area Lags Nation In Rate Of Increased Usage

People in the United States are living in a world of pain and they
are popping pills at an alarming rate to cope with it.

The amount of five major painkillers sold at retail establishments
rose 90 percent between 1997 and 2005, according to an Associated
Press analysis of statistics from the Drug Enforcement Administration.

More than 200,000 pounds of codeine, morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone
and meperidine were purchased at retail stores during the most recent
year represented in the data. That total is enough to give more than
300 milligrams of painkillers to every person in the country.

Oxycodone, the chemical used in OxyContin, is responsible for most of
the increase. Oxycodone use jumped nearly six-fold between 1997 and
2005. The drug gained notoriety as "hillbilly heroin," often bought
and sold illegally in Appalachia. But its highest rates of sale now
occur in places such as suburban St. Louis, Columbus, Ohio, and Fort
Lauderdale, Fla.

Local Impact

Overall, Illinois had among the lowest percentage increases in
painkiller use -- a 45 percent climb from 1997 to 2005 or roughly
half the national average.

However, Illinois' rate for oxycodone use was much higher -- 828
percent versus 591 percent for the national average.

Also, contrary to the national trend, meperidine use climbed in
pockets of southern and central Illinois, and codeine use skyrocketed
in Chicago's northwest suburbs. Rising use of the other drugs in
Illinois generally followed national trends, and southern Illinois
experienced some of the largest percentage increases.

Mercer, Henry and Rock Island Counties had among the lowest
percentage increases in painkiller use in Illinois. Oxycodone use,
for example, was only up 451.6 percent, compared to 828 percent for
the entire state. And meperidine use actually declined 72.9 percent
in those counties, while codeine use was down 39.4 percent.

Iowa, meanwhile, had a 62 percent increase in painkiller use from
1997 to 2005. Counties in southern Iowa, as well as those closest to
Des Moines, had the highest increases.

Jackson, Muscatine, Clinton and Scott Counties were all below the
national average in the rate of oxycodone use, but all of them saw an
increase of more than 250 percent between 1997 and 2005.

Why The Increase?

An AP investigation found these reasons for the increase:

- -- The population is getting older: As age increases, so does the
need for pain medications. By 2020, the Census Bureau estimates the
number of elderly in the U.S. will reach 54 million.

- -- Drugmakers have embarked on unprecedented marketing campaigns.
Spending on drug marketing has gone from $11 billion in 1997 to
nearly $30 billion in 2005, congressional investigators found.

- -- A major change in pain management philosophy is now in its third
decade. Doctors who once advised patients that pain is part of the
healing process began reversing course in the early 1980s; most now
see pain management as an important ingredient in overcoming illness.

The Consequences

- -- More people are abusing prescription painkillers because the
medications are more available.

- -- Spooked by high-profile arrests and prosecutions by state and
federal authorities, many pain-management specialists now say they
offer guidance and support to patients but will not write
prescriptions, even for the sickest people.

- -- People who desperately need strong painkillers are forced to drive
a long way -- often to a different state -- to find doctors willing
to prescribe high doses of medicine.

Addictions And Prosecutions Rising

When radio commentator Rush Limbaugh settled a federal case charging
him with illegally obtaining painkillers, he did not get prison time.
Neither did NFL star Brett Favre, who publicly acknowledged an
addiction to Vicodin that he obtained legally.

Pain management specialists say they are being blamed for everyone's addiction.

The DEA cites 108 prosecutions of physicians during the past four
years; 83 pleaded guilty or no contest, while 16 others were
convicted by juries. Eight cases are pending, and one physician is
being sought as a fugitive.

In congressional testimony, the agency's deputy assistant
administrator, Joseph T. Rannazzisi, estimated that fewer than 1
percent of the nation's physicians illegally provide prescription
drugs to patients. He told lawmakers it is far more common for
people to illegally obtain prescription drugs from friends and family members.