AREA METHADONE DEATHS ON INCREASE

SARASOTA - A feeling of helplessness still brushes Melinda Baker every time
she remembers her son, Aaron.

More than a year after his death, Baker still questions the role she played
in Aaron's three-year battle against a harrowing prescription drug addiction.

Sometimes she served as a partner, guiding the 20-year-old through two
detoxifications in the hopes of restoring him to a normal, sober life. At
other times, she was a staunch adversary, hoping stern actions, like
threatening to call the police, would help snap him back into reason.

But the addiction caught up with Aaron in March 2003 when he ingested a
lethal combination of Xanax and methadone, a synthetic drug similar to
morphine.

"Everybody tells me . . . you shouldn't feel responsible," Melinda said.
"Even though people tell me that all the time, I'm sure it'll be with me
forever. He hated his addiction. He had no idea how big it was."

Last month, methadone overdoses claimed the lives of Joshua L. Maxwell, 22,
Eric Chapman, 20, Michael R. Carlisle, 23, Joshua R. Babbs, 23, and
Stephany McClure, 17. The Sarasota Police Department continues to
investigate the five deaths, and officers say the young people knew each other.

Just days after the five were found, Robert Lee Robbins II, 24, of Fort
Myers, died after ingesting a combination of painkillers and alcohol while
staying with a friend at the New College campus in Sarasota.

News about the six deaths hit close to home for Baker.

"When I saw that, it all came back to me," she said.

A rising number

According to a report by the Medical Examiners Commission, methadone-
related deaths throughout Florida increased by 19 percent in 2003.

Manatee and Sarasota counties reported 26 methadone-related deaths last
year, according to the medical examiner's office.

Medical and law enforcement officials in Bradenton say they have not
noticed a significant increase of methadone use in Manatee County, but
medical officials in Sarasota have seen a slight increase in the use of
methadone among patients.

Together, both counties have seen a slight rise in intravenous,
heroin-related overdoses and deaths in the past four years.

Like methadone, drugs like heroin, morphine and prescription drugs such as
OxyContin all contain an opium base, which creates the addiction, according
to Sarasota Memorial Hospital infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Milam.

"The treatment and the management of these patients tend to be neglected or
ignored, and it just perpetuates the problem," Milam said. "There's very
little drug treatment, and it only makes the problem worse. It's becoming
more mainstream; it's much more accepted."

The Medical Examiners Commission reported 6,767 drug-related deaths
throughout Florida in 2003, with heroin, fentanyl and methadone considered
the most lethal causes.

Last year, 15 people died from heroin-related overdoses in Manatee County,
according to the medical examiner's office. There were also numerous
nonfatal heroin overdoses that same year.

The medical examiner's office reported three heroin-related deaths in 2004
- - in January, February and May.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there were
only three heroin deaths in all of Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties
combined in 2002.

In neighboring Sarasota County, officials said eight people were
hospitalized at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in serious condition last month
after suffering bacterial infections likely caused by the use of
unsanitized needles.

"The number has remained consistent," Milam said. "It's remained elevated."

Buying prescriptions

Reselling prescribed medications, such as OxyContin or Vicodin, to
subsidize incomes has been a growing problem, according to medical
officials, activists and law enforcement officials.

Lisa Phillips, executive director of the Substance Abuse Coalition of
Sarasota County, said for someone trapped in a cycle of addiction,
availability makes the average user switch drugs easily.

"All prescription drugs have become a rising problem," Phillips said. "It's
a 20-year cycle that goes to back and forth. Demand also plays a factor. We
suspect methadone has become a rising problem because of OxyContin abuse."

Manatee County law enforcement officials say while some prescription drugs,
such as OxyContin, have become affordable opiates at $10 to $20 a pill,
heroin continues to be the drug of choice for many.

Phillips said some doctors tend to overprescribe some medication, which
also creates a problem.

"They don't regulate themselves," she said. "People are misusing and
abusing the drugs."

Rock bottom

Born in Indiana, Aaron Baker was a sports enthusiast who liked to work on
his Honda Civic and hang out with friends.

The Bakers moved to Sarasota County in 2000, according to Melinda Baker.
That's when Aaron's life took a turn.

Aaron went to Sarasota High School for a while, dropped out and eventually
got his GED. He worked with his brother-in-law in a printshop during the
summer, picking up odd jobs at other times. He attended St. Petersburg
Junior College for a semester.

But in 2001, a car Aaron was riding in was rear-ended in a bad accident.
His back was seriously injured, and doctors prescribed OxyContin and
methadone, among other drugs, for the pain.

Similar to morphine but less habit-forming, methadone is often used in
narcotic detoxification programs and by addicts to maintain heroin addictions.

That incident marked the beginning of Aaron's drug problems, according to
his mother.

"There were mood swings," Baker said. "It wasn't real obvious at first. He
was embarrassed by it."

Aaron tried to break away from his addiction many times, Baker said, even
checking himself into a methadone clinic. But treatment didn't work.

"I know he was suffering," Baker said, adding that parents shouldn't shy
away from seeking help for their children.

"They shouldn't feel ashamed because they have these problems," she said.
"Don't shun them, don't kick them out or put them on the street - that's
not the answer. Rock bottom is not the answer, that's when they die."

Aimee Juarez, public safety reporter, can be reached at 745-7095 or at
ajuarez@bradentonherald.com.

For assistance, contact the Operation PAR Center at (888) 727-6398, or the
Manatee Glens Access Center at (941) 782-4617.