POTENT PAINKILLING DRUG BEING ABUSED

'Hillbilly Heroin' Can Kill More Than Just Pain

It's a potent prescription drug with pain-management qualities similar to
morphine, dilaudid and even heroin. But OxyContin -- or "hillbilly heroin,"
as it's sometimes called -- is quickly becoming known for killing a lot
more than just pain.

A synthetic opiate prescribed to people suffering from chronic pain,
OxyContin has been linked to 17 deaths in Manitoba since 2002.

And somewhat alarmingly, the number of prescriptions filled annually in the
province has nearly tripled since 2001 -- topping out at almost 12,000 in
2003, according to Manitoba Health.

But while morphine and heroin produce a high that only lasts three or four
hours, OxyContin was developed as a "time-release" medication, meaning
highs can last for as long as half a day.

'Whole Different Kind Of Bang'

"What we're seeing now is individuals taking it not for the pain
management, but for the high it gives," said Zenon Lisakowski, prevention
education consultant with the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba. "Plus,
folks have realized that if they take the capsule apart ... they can get a
whole different kind of bang."

Cases of improper OxyContin use only date back a decade or so, meaning
there's little in the way of literature or published material on the subject.

But while the drug is more of an established presence in parts of the
United States and on Canada's East Coast -- where cancer patients are
routinely robbed of their meds -- it's popularity is definitely on the
rise, thanks mostly to over-prescription and illicit sales. Here in
Manitoba, AFM statistics show 5% to 10% of clients reported using the drug
at least once.

"It's everybody from a later-aged teenager to a mid-adult in their 40s or
50s -- that's the range," Lisakowski said. "It doesn't take much to like
the effect, and then to get hooked on liking that effect."

Most OxyContin-related deaths are the result of overdoses or adverse
reactions, but the drug -- like heroin -- has been linked to a wide range
of health problems in long-term users, including stomach trouble, prolonged
dizziness, memory loss, insomnia, impotence and urinary infections.

Providing it's prescribed properly, the drug is still perfectly legal,
although efforts are underway to find safer alternatives, or to find ways
of better controlling its distribution.

And while the increased rate of prescriptions can be partially attributed
to a rise in terminal patients treated at home, the drug has also piqued
the interest of law enforcement officials, who've begun laying charges
against those who traffic in the substance illegally.