DrugBuyers.Com: The tales of two men, two prescriptions

LINK
Codeine and Percocet were no match to the pain John Eppard felt after having both of his knees replaced.
Eppard, 57, would take his pills, but after a while the pain would come back.

These days, the Manchester resident is feeling much better.

He takes 20 milligrams of OxyContin in the morning and another 20 milligram tablet at night.

OxyContin is a 12-hour time-release painkiller. Its main ingredient is oxycodone.

OxyContin is the only painkiller that gives the former York International worker consistent relief.

For Eppard, and many others, OxyContin and other painkillers represent a chance to live a less painful existence.

Eppard is one of several residents who called in response to the series Pain Killers, which published last week in the York Daily Record.

While such drugs have helped many people, they have also been the downfall for several others.

From 2001 and 2002, 20 York County residents died from prescription drug overdoses. In 11 of those 20 prescription drug cases, the York County coroner found that OxyContin or oxycodone in the peoples systems or among the drugs that they were taking.

Eppard and several other York County residents wonder how those numbers might affect them.

Im afraid its (OxyContin) going to be outlawed, Eppard said. I dont think the company that makes OxyContin should be criminalized. I hope to God it isnt taken off the market.

Others in the medical community are concerned about prescription abuse and how highlighting the issue might influence the treatment of those who legitimately suffer from pain.

Pain management is a huge issue, said Larry Owens, a clinical pharmacist at York Hospital. A lot of these people suffer at home needlessly. Theyre going to suffer.

While nobody is calling for OxyContin or other powerful painkillers to be pulled from the shelves, some York County residents believe a balance must be stricken between managing peoples pain and keeping potentially addictive drugs out of the hands of those who might abuse them.

Prescription monitoring programs might be one way to balance the need between pain management and painkiller abuse.

Deb Ness and her daughter, 19-year-old Ashley Myers, dont have all the answers. They just know that a beloved son and older brother is gone. Jared Myers died May 4 from an accidental overdose of oxycodone.

According to the York County Coroners Office, his death was caused by multiple drugs. Toxicology tests revealed that the drugs in his system included 22 milligrams of oxycodone.

Technically, the 21-year-old died from cardiac arrest.

Its like your whole world just caves in, Ness said.

Myers initially became addicted to Percocet following a head-on collision in 1997. The accident crushed the West York residents leg and left him with a scar on his face.

While Myers may have needed the medication following the car crash, it became clear to his family that he had become dependent on the drugs.

Its like his body was so immune to the drugs, Ashley Myers said. It just started eating away at his body.

During those six years Myers took painkillers, his family tried to get him help but to no avail. Once he reached the age of consent at 18, his family was unable to intervene.

For Ness, it is hard to pinpoint a single solution that might have spared her son his life. She said that having more information about the dangers of some prescription medication may have helped.

Perhaps her son would have realized he had a problem or may be he would have known that Xanax and OxyContin shouldnt be mixed.

I think something needs to be done, Ness said, tears welling up in her eyes.

I called every pharmacy in York County (telling them) Please dont give him any more prescription drugs. As long as he has a prescription they would have to fill them.

A central place where doctors could check on a patients records also might have made it more difficult for Ness son to get his prescriptions filled.

They made it easy for him, she said. Everywhere he went, they gave them to him.

Reach Sharon Smith at 771-2029 or

--------------------
"Whosoever is spared personal pain must feel himself called to help in diminishing the pain of others." Dr Albert Schweitzer