Prescription Drug Abuse

Laura Knoy's picture
By Laura Knoy on Monday, February 11, 2008.
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While illegal drug use among teens seems to be dropping, perfectly legal medicines like Oxycontin, Ritalin and Methadone are increasingly being misused, sometimes with serious consequences. We’ll look at the trends and how the health care system might change in response.

Guests

  • Jacqui Abikoff, Executive Director of the Horizons Counseling Center
  • Dr. Thomas Andrew, Chief Medical Examiner for the New Hampshire Department of Justice
  • Ira Byock, Professor of Anesthesiology and Community and Family Medicine, Chair of Palliative Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School, Director of Palliative Medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and a Member of the Steering Committee for the NH Pain Initiative

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Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Online Rogue Pharmacies Selling Prescription Drugs to Addicts

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Can Voting in New Hampshire Cost a Lawmaker a Job?

Related shows:

Thursday, May 8, 2008
Selling the Sin Tax

Friday, April 25, 2008
The Mellowing of Marijuana Laws

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Hooked from the First Cigarette

Medicine Disposal &
Submitted by Melissa Heinen on Mon, 02/11/2008 - 21:08.

Medicine Disposal & Poisonings

Thank you for covering this important topic. I am the Education and Research Coordinator with the Northern New England Poison Center and I wanted to let people know that we have a number of education resources they may find helpful.

To learn more about prescription pain medicine-related poisonings and/or how to get rid of your unwanted medicines visit www.nnepc.org.

Thank you,
Melissa Heinen
1-800-222-1222

Excellent coverage - we need to focus comprehensively on this
Submitted by Paul Lavallee on Thu, 03/06/2008 - 02:28.

As Jacqui said, this is a problem of ease of abuse of a legal means of obtaining and abusing addictive drugs. We need comprehensive integration of services to help address this very serious and deadly issue. I have witnessed people end up in jail, institutions or the ground. Education and funding for recovery services are critical as well. After all, alcohol is legal - and the issues there are tremendous as well.
NPR and others need to stay on top of this issue. Over 10% of the US population has a problem with alcohol and drugs - and more than ever before - adults and kids have easy access to prescription drugs to abuse. Only a minute fraction ever get help and only a fraction of those avoid relapse.
It is an issue that needs to be addressed by the State of NH (and by states across the US) much more than in the past.
Paul Lavallee
Chairman
www.WebsterPlace.org
Webster Place Recovery Center
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