Question: What are opioid pain medicines, and what are their names?

Answer: Opioids are medicines that are prescribed by a health care provider to relieve moderate or severe pain.  (back to top)   
 

Generic Name	Common Brand Names
Buprenorphine	Buprenex, Subutex, Suboxone
Codeine	Codeine
Fentanyl	Fentanyl, Actiq, Sublimaze, Duragesic
Hydrococone	Vicodin, Vicoprofen
Hydromorphone	Dilaudid
Meperidine	Demerol
Methadone	Methadose, Dolophine
Morphine	MS Contin, Avinza, Oramorph SR
Oxycodone	OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan
Oxymorphone	Opana
Propoxyphene	Darvon, Darvocet

Question: How many people die from prescription opioid overdoses?

Answer: In 2008, about 500 people in Washington State died from an unintentional drug overdose involving a prescription pain medicine.    (back to top)                                                                                                             

Question: Are more people dying from overdoses related to prescription pain medicines?

Answer: Yes. Washington State is having more accidental overdose deaths involving prescription opioid medication. From 1995 to 2008, Washington State had 17 times more deaths.  (back to top)

Question: Why are prescription pain medicines causing so many deaths?   

Answer: These medicines are being prescribed much more often since the late 1990s. With the increase in prescribing has come greater misuse and abuse of these medicines. Misuse and abuse occurs among people who have a valid prescription and among those who do not. These medicines can be dangerous for people who haven't taken them before, or if it has been a while since they last took them. There are deadly drug interactions with drugs such as alcohol, illegal drugs, and other medicines, including anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, or sleep aid medicine. (back to top)  

Question: Why do I need to worry about death from prescription pain medicine?

Answer: If you follow the directions on the prescription exactly, there is little danger from these medicines. But they can be very dangerous when taken with alcohol, illegal drugs, or certain other prescription medicines, including anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, or sleep aid medicine. They also become dangerous when you take more than the prescribed amount.  (back to top)     

Question: Is there one prescription pain medicine causing more deaths than the others?

Answer: From 2004-2007 in Washington State, methadone was involved in 64 percent of these deaths. Methadone stays in the body a long time often much longer than the pain relief. Taking methadone more often than directed can cause an accidental overdose.  (back to top)  

Question: What can I do if I have questions about my prescription pain medicine?

Answer: Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any questions. If you can't reach your provider, a pharmacist can answer questions about your medicine.
Call the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 if you think someone has taken too much or misused medicine. If there is an emergency, dial 9-1-1.  (back to top)  

Question: How do teens and adults get prescription pain medicine that they misuse or abuse?

Answer: 56% get them free from a friend or family member
              19% from a doctor
               9% bought them from a friend or family member
               4% from a drug dealer
               0.1% from the internet

 The majority (80%) of the friends and family members received them from a doctor.  (back to top)  
 
Question: How big of a problem is this among teens?

Answer: About 4% of Washington 8th graders, 10 % of 10th graders, and 12% of 12th graders used prescription pain medicine to get high in the past 30 days. Six percent of 12th graders used them at least 3 out of the past 30 days. Fewer than 10 teens die per year of an unintentional overdose involving prescription pain medicine.  (back to top)  

Question: What can healthcare providers do to help prevent these deaths?

Answer: Healthcare providers play a vital role in helping reduce these deaths in Washington. In an effort to support healthcare providers in this role, numerous resources have been developed. For more information, please see the provider web page  .  (back to top)  

Question: Can prescription pain medicine be addicting? 

Answer: Studies show the risk of addiction is low when taking prescription pain medicine for acute pain. Taking prescription pain medicine for a long time may cause physical dependence so withdrawal symptoms may occur if someone stops taking the medicine.
Tolerance may also occur when taking these medicines for a long time, so that you may need higher doses to get the same amount of pain relief. Addiction occurs when a person has a need to satisfy an overwhelming urge to get the medicines and use them despite negative physical, social, legal, or psychological consequences.  (back to top)  

Question: Why is it dangerous to keep unused and unneeded prescription pain medicine?

Answer: It can be dangerous to have too many old and unused medicine in your medicine cabinet. They can be dangerous if taken accidentally by you or family members. It can make you vulnerable to theft by anyone that comes into your home. Be sure to properly dispose of unused prescription medicine.   (back to top)  

Question:  How should I dispose of my expired prescription pain medicine?

Answer:

1. Check with your local police department to see if they have a medicine collection program.

2. Check to see if your community has a household hazardous waste program that will collect medicine.

3. If no collection options exist, follow these simple steps:
   o Remove all personal identification from the bottles;
   o Mix unused drugs with coffee grounds, kitty litter, or another undesirable substance;
   o Place this mixture in a sealed container and put it in your trash can on the day of pick-up.
   
   For more information, go to  http://www.takebackyourmeds.org/  (back to top)  

Question: Is there really anything wrong with letting my spouse take one of my prescription  pain pills because she has a migraine?

Answer: Yes. When a pain medicine is prescribed for you, your doctor prescribes a dose that will work for you to manage the pain. The doctor or pharmacist identifies possible drug interactions and determines if there are other health conditions that would impact the safety of the medicine. When someone else takes a prescription pain medicine that was not prescribed to them, there is a danger of the medicine being too much for them or bad drug interactions may occur with other medicine that the person is taking.  (back to top)  

Question: What are the warning signs of an overdose?

Answer: The signs of an overdose can include:
 ●  Abnormal vital signs (temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure). Vital sign values can be increased, decreased, or completely absent.
 ●  Sleepiness, confusion, or coma.
 ●  Skin is cool and sweaty, or hot and dry.
 ●  Chest pain.
 ●  Shortness of breath. Breathing may become rapid, slow, deep, or shallow.
 ●  Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Vomiting blood, or blood in bowel movements, can be life threatening.
Some doctor's offices are equipped to handle non-life-threatening cases of overdose, but in an emergency, dial 9-1-1.  (back to top)  

Question: What are possible signs of abuse of prescription pain medicine?

Answer:
 ● Neglecting usual responsibilities (work, school, or family) because of the medicine.
 ● Withdrawl from family and extracurricular activities.
 ● Unexplained need for money.
 ● Sluggishness, or constant sleeping.
 ● Mixing with alcohol, street drugs, or other prescription medicine.
 ● Using medicine not for pain but to get high or for the feeling the medications cause e.g. a rush, or to feel mellow
 ● Taking more than the prescribed amount of medicine.  (back to top)  

Question: How do I get my friend or family member help if I think they are abusing prescription pain relievers?

Answer: Treatment programs are available throughout Washington.
                 Call the Washington Recovery Help Line
                 1-866-789-1511

                   (back to top)