OXYCODONE DEATHS ON TRACK TO BREAK RECORD

Milwaukee County Has 5 Deaths In 4 Months

The number of oxycodone-related deaths in Milwaukee County in the first
four months of this year almost equals the number reported in all of 2001,
authorities said Wednesday.

Five deaths between Jan. 1 and April 30 have been confirmed as directly
attributable to use of the prescription narcotic, compared with seven in
2001, the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office reported.

The current rate suggests that deaths attributed to the drug will exceed
those in any prior year, said Eileen Weller, administrative manager of the
office. It also suggests that the drug may pose a serious health threat,
both to those who obtain it by prescription and those who get it through
illegal sources, she added.

"It's being prescribed more, and people who obtain prescriptions for
legitimate reasons are taking too much of it by accident," Weller said.

"It's a pain medication. They may not get the pain relief expected, so they
take more," Weller said. "The body may not have metabolized the last dose,
and this provides the mechanism for accidental overdose."

The drug is also being abused by more people, she said. OxyContin, the
brand name sustained-release tablet containing oxycodone, is intended to be
swallowed whole, but for illicit use the tablets are sometimes crushed and
the contents inhaled or injected.

Death occurs when the abuser ingests a large dose of the sustained-release
form of the drug or uses it with a combination of alcohol or other drugs
that may cause respiratory depression, she said.

"Some people will make up stories (about feeling pain) when going to the
doctor, and the drug gets diverted to the street, or they share with their
friends," she said.

In only two of the deaths last year had victims obtained the oxycodone
illegally, Weller said. All seven victims had used the narcotic in
combination with other drugs, which caused mixed-drug toxicity, she added.

"Just because somebody had it prescribed doesn't mean they are not abusing
it," Weller said. "It's important to be honest with your physician about
pain, particularly when talking about other medications that are being taken."

Federal Drug Enforcement Administration director Asa Hutchinson said in
December that his agency blames OxyContin directly for 117 deaths in 31
states over the prior two years and considers it a likely cause in 179
other deaths.