Marilyn Monroe, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson have more in common than their celebrity status.
They also draw national attention to the problems of abuse and accidental overdoses on prescription medication. However, this is an issue that is pertinent nationwide, not just in celebrity circles.
While the use of illicit or street drugs has decreased between 2002 and 2007, the use of prescription medication, such as tranquilizers, pain relievers and stimulants, has risen to be second only to marijuana in teen drug use, according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
In addition to the abuse, prescription drug use is leading a rise in drug-related deaths. For instance, deaths in the U.S. due to poisoning over a five-year period (1999-2004) show that nearly all poison deaths in the country are attributed to drugs, and most drug poisonings result from the abuse of prescription and illegal drugs, according to the ONDCP.
In February 2009, Tazewell County Coroner Dennis Conover reported deaths of five women between the ages of 20 and 53 throughout a five-day period. The trend alarmed Conover and County Sheriff Bob Huston and led them to take action.
“That is an important part of my job. It’s not just to investigate death, but to try and prevent it,” said Huston.
As coroner, Conover agreed with Huston about his job duties, but also added he looks for trends.
The two men hosted a press conference to divulge the current statistics of Tazewell County and inform citizens about the dangers of prescription drugs.
“You never know how many people the press conference reaches, but one thing that came out of it was Hult Center for Health Education contacted me with a possible prevention and education program” said Huston.
“Generation Rx: The Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse” was created by the Hult center in 2008.
The 45-minute program, which is instructed by Anne Howerton, includes a PowerPoint, two small videos and participation activities, including a mock “pharm party” where candy represents drugs and Howerton highlights their different effects.
At first, the program was going to start in the four major high schools in the area — Pekin, Washington, East Peoria and Morton. But other towns, including Delavan, the hometown of one of the young women who died of an overdose, were interested as well. The sheriff’s office funded the program for seven county schools for the 2009–10 school year.
Funding was initially a major concern for Huston, who made an ironic twist in payment.
“When I asked about cost, the health center estimated roughly $4,500, and I knew we had a few thousand in funds from drug seizures that would be a perfect expenditure,” said Huston. “Even when we decided to include all of Tazewell County, the funds could cover the $6,000 expense.”
The program has been done mostly in freshmen health courses, but some schools have done the program on a larger scale. With a style that is similar to D.A.R.E., Howerton explained that keeping the students attention is not difficult.
“There are many visuals and activities that keep the students attentive,” Howerton said. “In fact, most of the chatter that I have noticed is from students talking about examples and situations of the material in their school.”
The examples are evident in the county’s schools. One section of the program is a clicker activity, in which students can anonymously answer questions about their experiences with prescription drug use and pharm parties.
Data from 600 students, of the 2,000 Howerton will meet by the end of the year, concludes the following:
• Twenty-seven percent of students have used prescriptions not prescribed to them, the most popular being pain relievers such as Vicodin and OxyContin (oxycodone), with 12 percent of the students having used them.
• Twenty-seven percent of students have also attended a pharm party, where drugs are dropped into a public bowl for the taking.
• Eighteen percent of those who have attended also admitted to attending, at least, four more times.
While “Generation Rx: The Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse" focuses on teens. There are opportunities to gain more information on the subject. At 7:30 a.m. March 26 in the community room of the Pekin Public Library, Huston will give a short presentation on the program, as well as other statistics of prescription drug abuse and deaths in the area. The presentation is sponsored by the Pekin Area Networking Group as one of its ongoing community service projects.
In addition, Howerton and Huston, will provide a second adult program, “Generation Rx: The Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse and What Adults Should Know,” which will take place at 7 p.m. April 21 at the Morton Public Library.
Doctor shopping
Generation Rx, which refers to those in their teens and 20s, are obtaining the drugs from various different locations. Some users are stealing from family members and friends' medicine cabinets, while others are “doctor shopping.”
Doctor shopping implies visiting several doctors to obtain the same or different prescription medications. However, Illinois has recently started to limit the possibility for successful shopping.
“There is a monitoring system in Springfield, where doctors and pharmacists can report and research if a single person is being prescribed the same medication several times,” said Conover.
