Addicted to painkillers?

Elisabeth Kuiper | Jan 06, 2011

Is there a prescription painkiller addiction problem in our rural community? The use or illegal abuse of opiate prescription drugs, specifically pain drugs like Percocet, Oxycontin and Hydro Morphone has become a real problem in our community. These drugs can cause your organs to physically become addicted and so the withdrawal in some people is horrendous - like heroin withdrawal. When the drugs have been legally prescribed for pain, the doctor stops prescribing them when the initial reason, the pain, has stopped. But if the patient becomes addicted, they may fake pain to get more or go to several doctors to increase their dose. Doctors and pharmacists are only starting to realize the magnitude of the problem, yet often don’t know what to do except stop the prescription. Some of those patients, desperate, then go to the streets to find their daily dose.

Drug dealers have taken advantage of this quick addiction and now such pain killers are readily available for sale on the street. Although this is not isolated to any age or societal group, our youth have discovered them and initially think of these pills as innocent leisure drugs, only to find that after only a few doses they too are addicted. It begins to consume them, affect their health, school, work, social and family life, their ambitions, and finding the drug every day becomes ALL they care about. Several young people in our community over the last few years have become so desperate that even after telling their parents and asking for help, and in some cases even going for addiction counseling, they have lost hope and have taken their own lives.

The Children’s Aid Society of Lanark County has been taking many more children into care because of addiction issues of young parents.

It is a tragedy and a crisis that is not well known in our rural community but it needs to be. Addicts need help and there is help. There are options and alternatives, one being the harm reduction programs that are offered by Methadone clinics in Ottawa, Kingston and Brockville. But what about rural areas? The problem here in Perth, Lanark County and in rural areas in general is isolation, a lack of information, education and access. It will take a community of supportive experts, advocates, and volunteers to help solve these issues.

Join us on January 17at 6:30PM at the Perth Royal Canadian Legion, 26 Beckwith E Street, when the Perth chapter of the Canadian Federation of University Women will host a video screening of ‘Prescription to Addiction’, with an open forum and panel of experts including Jennifer Barr from Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Dr. Elaine Riddick, David North from TRICAS, Dr. Paula Stewart, Medical Officer of Health as well as pharmacist Rebecca Bellamy to address and discuss Addiction to Prescription Pain Killers in a Rural Area and to answer questions. Since the whole community is affected, every member is invited. The hope is that local councilors, affected family members, other health professionals, and the general public will attend. All are welcome.

For more information please contact Elisabeth Kuiper CFUW Advocacy Committee chair at 613-268-2114 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..