Opiate-addiction surge among women

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This article was published 12/06/2010 (5635 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Health experts warn a dramatic surge in the number of women seeking treatment for opiate addiction is a red flag that abuse of painkillers such as OxyContin is now widespread.

Laura Goossen, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba director for Winnipeg, said front-line workers have seen a significant increase in women needing help for opiate abuse in the last three months.

Goossen said half of the women waiting to get into residential treatment are addicted to opiates, and 75 out of 183 patients on the wait list for methadone are women. About half of the women got hooked on the painkillers after their physician prescribed them for a legitimate medical condition or chronic pain, Goossen said.

Last year, the overwhelming majority of Manitobans who sought help for opiate addiction were suburban teenage boys who experimented with OxyContin at parties. The abuse later spread to families in the inner city, where more addicts started using needles to inject opiates and get high.

Goossen said the recent surge is a huge concern since it signals opiate abuse becoming more widespread among women and men of all ages. She said the rise in abuse will continue to drive demand for treatment services, and no one knows whether it will plateau or worsen.

"That to me, is a red flag," Goossen said. "It’s really concerning because it just reinforces the number of people in trouble with opiates."

Experts say the surge puts an additional strain on a system that is already backlogged and dealing with a rise in crime many suspect was sparked by the crackdown on OxyContin prescriptions.

Manitoba recently imposed restrictions on OxyContin that limit the narcotic to cancer patients or those with chronic conditions who can’t tolerate other medications. Though the move was meant to reduce the supply of opiates on city streets and the ballooning demand for methadone treatment, experts say there are still not enough treatment spaces to deal with the backlog of addicts who need help.

"We’re adding a new addiction problem to what was already a strained system," said Dr. Lindy Lee, director of Health Sciences Centre’s addiction unit.

"I’m just seeing it everywhere. Chronic-pain patients on prescriptions, babies in withdrawal, more aboriginal, more northern and rural patients. It’s just become a more widespread problem."

The spike among women is a particular problem because of the limited number of addiction-treatment services available for women. Only 12 residential treatment beds are available for women, compared with 36 spaces for men. Women who want to be on methadone are already waiting between six and 12 months for help, and Goossen said others who want to get into community-based abstinence programs have to wait five weeks for a residential bed and six months for day programs.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

 

Dangerous addiction

What is OxyContin?

It’s a powerful opiate that’s also a commonly prescribed painkiller. In the last two years, front-line addiction workers have seen an alarming rise in the number of Manitobans addicted to painkillers such as OxyContin.

 

Why do some people who take opiates for medical reasons get hooked and others don’t?

Most people prescribed drugs such as OxyContin for chronic pain won’t become addicted, but a small number of patients will. Addiction experts say people who are vulnerable can become hooked for a variety of reasons, including genetic factors, underlying mental illness, or to feel a sense of belonging or safety.

 

Why can’t they just stop taking it?

Part of the reason addicts can’t stop craving the pills is the high wears off after frequent use. Users feel the need to keep taking the drug to ward off severe symptoms of withdrawal, including vomiting, diarrhea and leg cramps. Experts say it’s those severe withdrawal symptoms that can push addicts to take drastic measures to get their pills.

 

How can patients get help?

Patients have two options — detox and abstaining from OxyContin, or get on the waiting list for methadone treatment. Methadone is a synthetic opiate that suppresses symptoms of withdrawal, but is tightly controlled. Increased demand for methadone treatment in Manitoba has resulted in long waits for treatment. Some patients have died waiting for a basic assessment. Others drop out of touch while on the waiting list, or resort to crime to feed their addiction. Others are prescribed doses of opiates to tide them over until they can get into the methadone program.