Tamper-Proof Pills
Cory Lewis: “If I didn’t have them I would get sick.”
Jim Hall: “Oxycodone led the prescription drug problem in Florida.”
Substance abuse expert Jim Hall says the drug epidemic exploded when people discovered tampering with the pills gave them the greatest high.
Jim Hall: “Opiate addicts learned they could crush the extended released form of oxycontin and get the full dose all at once.”
7News documented that behavior outside pill mills and even in pharmacy parking lots. Addicts crushed and snorted and crushed and shot up within moments of getting their hands on pain pills. Scientists say abusers do that to bypass the time-release formula.
David Mastropietro: “You can crush it and really get all that medication that was for eight to 12 hours right up front within about ten to 15 minutes.”
But that could be changing thanks to new technology being developed at Nova Southeastern University. Researchers are developing tamper-proof medications.
David Mastropietro: “You can see that my continuously hitting the product. We’re not seeing any major breakage of the tablet.”
Pills even survive a rough ride in a blender.
David Mastropietro: “It would be difficult to snort a tablet when it doesn’t really break up.”
And the pills are equally impossible to turn into a liquid to inject.
David Mastropietro: “As soon as they start to mix it or dissolve it and get the drug out, you’ll start to see that it starts forming a really thick gel.”
And that makes it impossible to draw the medication into a syringe. NSU researchers hope to bring the new technology to the market soon.
Hossein Omidian: “Right now we are in the process of talking to the pharmaceutical companies.”
Cory thinks that if the tamper-proof pills were available when he was prescribed, maybe he would not have become an addict and maybe his brother would be alive today.
Cory Lewis: “My little brother didn’t make it. He stumbled in front of a car while under the influence.”
Nationwide, overdose deaths from pain killers have reached 15,000 a year. The research and development going on here at NSU holds the promise of reducing those heartbreaking losses in the future.
Carmel Cafiero, 7News.
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Filed under: General Problems
Agreed. Concrete meds don’t dissolve or even work properly, if at all. They are horrible for real pain. This is why breakthrough medications are so important.
There should be choices by having both available for pain doctors to decide what is good for whom. If all meds are made with this glue? Than there won’t be ANY decent pain control for anyone. The minority shouldn’t rule the majority.
A short sighted knee jerk reaction…..in the long run this is going to be a problem for those in LTC and hospices who need the dosage flexibility like being able to have meds crushed but not ready to have liquids full time. And not all the narcotics are available in liquids. Yes, those who have malabsorbtive problems problems (including those with ostomies) are also going to have problems. My feeling is this is eventually where the DEA wants the FDA to direct Big Pharma to go and no one is going to even consider the big picture
They did this to OxyContin and completely ruined the drug. I have metabolic and malabsortive issues and it wouldn’t even register it was in my system on blood tests or UA’s. Sadly I know dozens WITHOUT these issues who still don’t benefit from the reformulated OxyContin. It’s a tragedy RUIN a miracle drug – just because SOME people MAKE A CHOICE NOT TO FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. I was not nearly so fortunate to be able to CHOOSE TO HAVE CHRONIC PAIN AND GENUINELY NEED MEDS. Don’t punish the majority for the choices if the minority. I DO BELIEVE addiction IS NOT a choice, BUT THE DECISION TO ABUSE SOMETHING THAT FIRST TIME……..IS ABSOLUTELY A CHOICE. Don’t let your “choices” ruin my life!!
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