Oxycontin Express

[Kurt]

Wow - old news! Kids have been trading their parents' meds for a long time. In and outside of school. It has become an epidemic. Kids pull out bottles at pill parties and start selling and trading. 6 of these for one of those, 2 of these for 10 of those, and on and on. Much more popular than "illegal drugs".

And it starts before the teens in some places.

 

[Jdarg]

Wow - old news! Kids have been trading their parents' meds for a long time. In and outside of school. It has become an epidemic. Kids pull out bottles at pill parties and start selling and trading. 6 of these for one of those, 2 of these for 10 of those, and on and on. Much more popular than "illegal drugs".

And it starts before the teens in some places.

Yes, but it has become a much bigger problem than even 5 or 10 years ago. Demographically, I was told that it is more prevalent in south Walton, which was the point I was trying to make. I have also read that prescription drug abuse by teens trends toward the higher socio-economic areas, so that fits into what I was told. So many parents are involved with their kids here, but then again, so many are not.

If my post makes even one parent here check their medicine cabinet and get rid of unused/unnecessary prescription drugs, then that is a great thing.

 

[Kurt]

Yes, but it has become a much bigger problem than even 5 or 10 years ago. Demographically, I was told that it is more prevalent in south Walton, which was the point I was trying to make. I have also read that prescription drug abuse by teens trends toward the higher socio-economic areas, so that fits into what I was told. So many parents are involved with their kids here, but then again, so many are not.

If my post makes even one parent here check their medicine cabinet and get rid of unused/unnecessary prescription drugs, then that is a great thing.

Yes - but do not flush them down the toilet! It may end up in your drinking water.

 

[Bobby J]

It's that 50 docs in FL are writing 85% of national prescriptions I don't believe.

50 writing 85% w/in the state I buy.

But nationwide - Oxycontin is so prevalent I sorta know what it is, so questioning that stat.

I was also shocked by the stat but then my wife googled it and showed me the stat. Take a moment to watch the movie and you will see why 85% is in Florida. It is an express lane where people are coming in from all over the country. The docs prescribing in many cases have come out of retirement and don't even go into the clinic. They have Medical assistants seeing the patients. One of the clinics has a guy with a machine gun out front! hard to believe this is happening in this country.

 

[Bobby J]

Just tried to find the stat again. It does seem high. I will have Bev find it later. Whatever the percentage is looking for the stat helped me realize what a mess this is. Here is a link that summarizes the movie.

Current TV’s “Vanguard”: "Vanguard" Season Premiere: "The OxyContin Express"

 

[Beach Runner]

Yes - but do not flush them down the toilet! It may end up in your drinking water.

At a Sustainabilty Council (of which I am a member) meeting, one of my colleagues with a Ph.D. in biochemistry told me to put the unneeded pain meds from Big D's back surgery into a plastic bag, add cat litter and water, and throw it in the trash. She said that it is a green alternative.

 

[Matt J]

At a Sustainabilty Council (of which I am a member) meeting, one of my colleagues with a Ph.D. in biochemistry told me to put the unneeded pain meds from Big D's back surgery into a plastic bag, add cat litter and water, and throw it in the trash. She said that it is a green alternative.

It's not, while the cat litter will absorb the dissolved medicine it doesn't alter them or break them down, thus when the bag rips they are still released into the environment.

 

[30ashopper]

Note to self, if ever at a party and someone offers up an oxy on tin foil and a lighter, take a pass!

 

[Lynnie]

This is really sad, but looks like FL is on the way to tracking. Most likely many doctors will find themselves with their licenses to practice revoked. It explains the number of people I have encountered with a pocket full of pills and they are sold at a premium.

I didn't know oxycontin was heroin, however. Dang spooky!

 

[Beach Runner]

It's not, while the cat litter will absorb the dissolved medicine it doesn't alter them or break them down, thus when the bag rips they are still released into the environment.

She says it's okay. Let the bag sit for a few days before throwing it in the trash. I figure she knows if she has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and into sustainability.

Our CVS won't take it. I dunno what to do with it. I know they could be sold on the street in ATL for $50 each, but mama didn't raise no fool -- I'm a fancy resort sort of person, so I wouldn't like living in a jail cell.

Maybe I'll just take them to work, flush a few at a time in different bathrooms around campus so that there won't be 60 at a time thrown into one toilet.

Edit: One of my colleagues who has a doctorate in nursing and just moved here from Gainesville, FL, told me that every time she wrote a prescription there, it was tracked. ?????