Prescription Drugs Contribute to Recent Disease Outbreak

Overdose, often fatal, has been one of the major concerns associated with the massive rise in rates of prescription drug abuse over the past several years. Painkillers have killed more than 15,000 Americans on an annual basis, and drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death, surpassing even car accidents. But now a new threat has arisen in connection with the painkiller abuse problem, with a report from Indiana of a sudden outbreak of cases of HIV. The sudden spike in HIV diagnoses began in the middle of December and was announced by state health officials at the end of February. Over this period, a total of 27 people were diagnosed as having HIV, and another 10 were given a preliminary diagnosis, with follow-up testing required to provide confirmation. What they all had in common was that they had injected oxymorphone hydrochloride, a prescription painkiller marketed under the brand name Opana. The drug is one of many common opiate pain medications which have been spreading throughout the country as a drug of abuse and addiction, and the fact that it is commonly injected makes it a prime candidate for spreading diseases such as HIV.

The upsurge in rates of HIV in Indiana echoes past episodes in which a spread of the disease was associated with high incidence of intravenous needle use. This is one of the most harmful consequences of injecting drugs, that it exposes the addict to the risk of HIV and other highly infectious diseases. Drug users who shoot up often resort to sharing needles when the supply is low, even when they know better. Sometimes the craving for another fix is just so desperate that the person will take a needle from a friend or even a stranger just to get high and put an end to the torture of withdrawal. In this way, diseases such as HIV can rapidly spread in areas where many people are using intravenous drugs like Opana, heroin, and others, and immediate intervention is required to protect at-risk populations from further spread. One common solution is to set up needle exchanges at centers where drug users can come to obtain a supply of clean needles. This might be seen as enabling or condoning drug use, but as a practical matter it makes sense; the users are going to shoot up however they can, and offering clean needles at least mitigates the spread of disease.

Drug Addiction Can Ruin a Life in More Ways than One

Getting help for an addict — yourself or a loved one — is absolutely vital. Not only is he or she at risk of overdose, there are a number of other serious threats that pose themselves to a person who uses drugs, as the HIV outbreak in Indiana demonstrates. The longer a person continues using drugs, the greater is the chance that he or she will end up with a serious disease, be injured in an accident, be a victim of violence or suffer some other tragic outcome. Even if the person escapes the threat of disease, there is yet the likelihood that he or she will face a bleak future of failure and unfulfilled potential. The grip of addiction is so strong that it can drive a person to do virtually anything, including sharing infected needles and flushing one’s future down the drain. If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction to painkillers or another drug, take action now to get treatment and pursue recovery before it is too late. Some of the consequences of addiction, such as possibly getting a life-threatening illness, are beyond the power of rehab to treat, so it is important to get sober while there is still a chance of a full recovery.