“Never allow yourself to be mastered by anything." ~ 1
Corinthians 6:12
As a police officer, Antonio was
unafraid. He broke up domestic quarrels and
street brawls. Once during a heavy
rainstorm, he waded into a flooded intersection to rescue a motorist and her
child.
But when a tow truck slammed into his patrol car, he
suffered a career ending back injury.
Several surgeries and various pain meds over the next two decades did
little to stop the debilitating pain.
Then he met OxyContin.
Purdue Pharma launched OxyContin with a bold marketing
claim: One dose relieves pain for 12 hours, more than twice as long as generic
medications. Based on that promise,
OxyContin became America’s bestselling painkiller, and Purdue earned billions
in profits.
But as Antonio discovered, the drug had a fundamental
problem: for him it wore off hours early.
Following Purdue’s guidance, his doctor prescribed a stronger, rather
than more frequent, dose.
But they didn’t mention that since Oxy is a chemical cousin of
heroin, when it doesn’t last, Antonio would experience painful withdrawal symptoms,
including an intense craving for the drug.
Soon Antonio had developed a deep tolerance to Oxy and had
become physically dependent on it. His
prescription had increased to over ten times the original dosage. Yet his life was ticking along relatively
pain free; a busy family life took precedence.
But here were warning signs along the way. Stomach cramps, nausea, intense headaches -
all would hit without warning. Antonio
wasn’t looking for a buzz when he sought the drug - he was desperately seeking
to escape the gripping sickness that accompanies withdrawal.
Occasional fender benders led to more serious
accidents. He was constantly groggy;
eventually spending most of his day sleeping. One day, another officer found him slumped
over the steering wheel of his car at a BP gas station and rushed him to the
hospital.
He never regained consciousness. He was 42.
A toxicology report showed
lethal levels of oxycodone in his blood. The label on an prescription bottle found
nearby directed Antonio to take an 80 ml Oxy tablet twice daily. There should have been 64 pills left. There were only 5.
Over the last 20 years, more than 7 million Americans have
abused OxyContin. The drug is widely
blamed for setting off the nation’s opioid epidemic, which has claimed more nearly
200,000 lives from overdoses involving OxyContin since 1999.
I’d like to blame GPs, the health system, and even Big
Pharma. But the problem's more complex
than that. We need more responsible
discussions around the management of acute pain before it becomes chronic
pain. The key to avoiding addiction is
the help of a medical team that's easily accessible, along with regular
checkups to reassess the need for, and use of the drug.
Lord, wrap Your loving arms of protection around
me to overcome any evil influences in my life.
Surround me with good, wholesome, God fearing people who will positively
support me - not drag me down. Amen
