Jill Anne Yeagley
director of the Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention
about prescription narcotics
The amount of five major painkillers sold at retail establishments rose 90 percent between 1997 and 2005, according to Drug Enforcement Administration figures.
The Daily Lobo asked Jill Anne Yeagley, director of the Campus Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, about the increase. Yeagley said there needs to be a balance between over-prescribing narcotics and getting help to people in need.
Daily Lobo: What do you think has caused the increase in prescription drug use?
Jill Anne Yeagley: There are several different factors. On the legal side of it, we have an aging population - we have more people who are living longer and living with chronic diseases that have pain with them.
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There's also been, over the last 10 or 15 years, a change in the medical field in terms of a philosophy about pain management. It seems like human nature is kind of a pendulum. Years back, doctors were so concerned about over-prescribing and people getting addicted, that you had people with late stage cancer and doctors were reluctant to give them sufficient morphine and pain killers. That philosophy has changed.
There's been a lot more training for doctors in pain management and the need for it. I was reading something on it that, not that long ago, maybe 2004 or so, Oxycodone was such a problem. There were some doctors who ended up loosing their licenses and, I think, even going to jail because of their rather free use of the prescriptions. Now, we're seeing not anywhere near the rise in physicians being willing to write prescriptions.
Maybe another factor with it is that we're certainly better-marketed. I remember when they first started marketing medications on television and really being shocked, surprised and dismayed. We've made them sort of like, here's another product. Maybe your teeth aren't white enough? Use this. You have a little pain? Use this. Don't like the way the days going? Use this. It really fed into that so much.
DL: What do you think the medium is between over-prescribing and under-prescribing?
JY: I'm not sure. There's certainly legitimate, and I think very reasonable, occasions to give somebody a narcotic, a painkiller. There was some change in the philosophy that people shouldn't have to suffer if there is a medication that can truly help them. I'm not so sure that along with that philosophical change came about the tools also to then monitor those patients.
Because they do have a pretty high potential for abuse and for addiction, you have a responsibility as a prescriber and a physician to monitor that person and keep in touch with them. And educate the patient, too, about the fact that it is addictive.
DL: What should students do if they are having problems with prescription drugs or they know someone who does?
JY: If they themselves are having problems, I would recommend that they walk into CATS (Counseling and Therapy Services) and be forthright with them about what they're using and what's going on. It's something that is covered under federal guidelines for confidentiality. So, a student doesn't have to be concerned that they're going to get into trouble with anyone at the University, or the police or anyone else.
If they're concerned about someone else, I'm not sure that CATS will be able to provide as much assistance in that case. We have information that we can share with them if they're needing to have a better idea of whether they really have a problem and what the drug does to them. I've assisted students and staff and other people when they've been concerned about somebody else and felt like it was time to sit down and talk with that individual.
DL: What warning signs are there for students to know they have a problem?
JY: One thing for them to look at is, does it seem to be something where they're using more and more of it? Are they finding that the amount that they started with isn't sufficient? That's an early sign of a building tolerance, which can be indicative of addiction.
They also probably want to look at what's going on in their life in terms of school, perhaps work, relationships - is their drug use affecting that? Are their grades dropping? Are they having trouble getting to class or staying awake long enough to get that paper written? That's if they're using a pain killer or a sedative. It can be the opposite if they're using stimulants. They may be staying awake to do the paper, but maybe they can't concentrate. Or, they get that done, but then they really crash afterwards.
Certainly, if anyone is expressing concern, that's a big warning flag.
