OXYCONTIN GAINS POPULARITY AS A RECREATIONAL DRUG

Even with a thriving academic atmosphere such as UW-Madison's, drug use has
a presence on campus. In this series, The Badger Herald will examine the
drug culture at UW. Today, we look at the use of OxyContin and the lengths
some take to obtain the prescription painkiller. Tomorrow, we examine drugs
commonly used in bars, such as cocaine.

A 34-year-old man was arrested Sunday for the attempted theft of the drug
OxyContin from an East Side medical facility. This was the third attempted
theft of the drug in Madison just this year.

OxyContin, produced by Purdue Pharma LP, is the strongest prescription
painkiller on the market. It is a trade name product for the generic
narcotic oxycodone hydrochloride, an opiate agonist. The drug provides pain
relief by acting on opioid receptors in the spinal cord, brain and possibly
in the tissues directly. When used properly, OxyContin is designed to
provide 12 hours of relief for patients with bone pain or cancer or for
those waiting to have surgery.

Recreational use of OxyContin has risen among young adults due to the
effects of the time-release pill as it breaks down. When the drug is
crushed, injected or snorted, the intense reaction is felt all at once and
is similar to that of heroin.

Until 1999, OxyContin abusers were located primarily in eastern states such
as Maine, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. However, a rise in
pharmacy robberies, prescription forgeries and street sales in Wisconsin
have indicated that the drug's popularity is moving west.

According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, the price of one
10-milligram tablet purchased with a prescription is $1.25, but on the
street it may sell for $5 to $10. More recent estimates by the Milwaukee
District office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration say the street
value rose to $30 to $60 per pill.

Nate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, talked about the possibility
of trying OxyContin.

"Oh heck yeah, I would," he said. "People have friends that can find it. I
wouldn't pay too much for it, though."

He said he prefers to stick to other lower-cost options with similar reactions.

"I've used Vicodin, Percoset and muscle relaxers," he continued. "You take
as many as you can get to get f*cked up and start flying. It's like a real
intensified drunkenness, and every now and then you might see things."

UW junior Brett Rehm said he believes part of the blame for the increase in
use of OxyContin can be placed on physicians.

"It seems like doctors prescribe things like Oxy without thinking," Rehm
said. "They went out of control."

A high school football injury requiring two knee surgeries left Rehm on a
steady dose of morphine and codeine to handle the pain.

"I'm a big guy," Rehm said. "And when a big guy doesn't need Oxy, I don't
see why anybody does. There seems to be other solutions available."

Despite the trends, pharmacists will not take OxyContin off their shelves
because of the benefits it provides to those in need. The long-lasting pill
works quickly, so its intended users can function during the day and sleep
at night. In order to equal the relief supplied by OxyContin, a person
needs to consume large doses of aspirin, which could cause damage to the liver.

Roxicodone and Percoset, along with other painkillers on the market, last
only four to five hours and may take an hour to begin working, meaning a
daily routine is continually interrupted and a decent night of sleep
becomes impossible.

Although pharmacists say taking it off the shelves is not an option, they
do take precautions when dealing with OxyContin.

Because of the concern surrounding the drug, Madison-area pharmacists only
spoke on conditions of anonymity to protect the pharmacy and avoid
attracting attention.

"We have no official policy and no changes to normal screening," said a
Madison area pharmacist. "But we have to avoid using company names. We
haven't been robbed, but the potential is always there."

Pharmacies in the Dane County area say they rely on each other to crack
down on illegal users. If someone is caught falsifying prescriptions, all
pharmacies must notify one another in a chain sequence, while physicians
may also report anything suspicious. Additionally, a one-week waiting
period may be required after the initial prescription is ordered.

"There are good reasons for keeping [OxyContin]," another pharmacist said.
"Nothing else will take the pain away [as well]. It is a long-acting pill
that is the most used out there and just happens to be getting a lot of press."

He also said taking the proper steps makes incidents less likely.

"We have only had one situation where someone was at the counter with a
false prescription," he added. "Over at our [other] site, a lady was caught
because she used different-colored pens when forging the prescription."