OxyContin Awareness


Name:Shay L. Nuzum Email:[email protected] Type:Chronic Pain Story Date:8/16/2002	I am a 32 year old mother of two,wife,and chronic pain sufferer. Over Christmas last year (2001) I almost lost my life to this horrific drug. I have to admit, I am concerned when I hear the stories of chronic pain sufferers who think that oxycontin is a miracle drug. It will eventually kill you, as your body needs more, and more, until you start to seizure and suffer heart failure and stop breathing. Thats what happened to me. I lost 4 years of my life to this drug and was so addicted (only taking it as prescribed) that I am still on several medications to ease my horrible withdrawal symptoms. There are several drugs on the market that have been out for years without the adverse effects of oxycontin......I beg anyone out there who is still taking oxycontin to consider a change;before it is too late. I have to suffer for the rest of my life from the ill effects of oxycontin, but others can learn from my story and detox before they,too, live in oxycontin hell.

Name:Melanie Email:[email protected] Type:Abuse Story Date:8/15/2002	Since I wrote last one of my friends has admitted herself to a detox center. She and her boyfriend go every morning at 5 am to a methadone clinic and they are receiving counseling. I don't know how I can help because I have never gone thru what they are, but they know I am here for them no matter what. Since talking to her I have learned that there is a Dr. in our area that has clinc only 1 time a week, accepts no insurance, $180 for the first visit and $90 after and it is to get O.C.'s You could be in this office as late as 1am. This is nothing more than a crack house with a license. Why can't our Government step in and crack down on these Dr's and make this drug only available to the people that really need it? It is such a waste for all these people to become hooked on something so deadly and everyone involved feels so helpless. I wish everyone that is suffering from this drug, wether it be an addict, a family member, or a friend all my prayers and best wishes. May God bless us all!

Name:Christine Ryan Email:[email protected] Type:Death Story Date:8/15/2002	I have a message to say about my brother Michael whom I loved very much. He was only 33 years old when he died when found on his kitchen table was a priscription written and filled (for OxyContin)only two days before his death in his apartment when my family and I went to clean it out,. WE WERE DEVISATED. I personally had never heard of the drug. I saw a show on MTV after his death about this drug and the dangers of it and got this website from that show. He had been in an motorcycle accident when he was 20 and had several broken bones, actually everything on his right side was broken and he lost an 1.5 inches of bone in his leg from this accident. He had pins in his feet and toes, his right elbow and a rod in his right leg. He had so much surgery it was sad, but he lived with the pain for so many years because he was so afraid of everything after what he had been through(from never having been in a hospital literally since he was born) of needles, anesthesia, pain, physical therapy for months) How does someone deal with having a much shorter leg than the other at 20 years old? He dealt with it and he said whenever it rained the pain was so much more. He always kept his spirits up but would definitly complain the pain kept getting worse. He always managed to still try to do the things he always loved (surfing,knee boarding etc) he loved the water but could only do it for a short time because of pain or fear he would hurt his leg and break it again or worse have to have more surgery, which overall he had had about three or four times from complications/infection, etc. Michael had also had some other troubles in his life but he was the best person you could know. He would give you the shirt off his back, take you anywhere you needed to go. I could go on, I am his sister telling this story we were only 14 months apart. We did many things together but the important thing is he should not have died and he did trying to get some comfort for his pain. Someone he knew told him to go this clinic in FT. Lauderdale,Fl and they would help him with his pain (by now he had a severe disc in spine that was very painful proven with an MRI he had had a month or so before)so he went. He had started with this group and they said they were going to him a on drug plan for his pain. He did not get OxyCotin right away he did get some other pain medication first and he took this all according to the prescription written and they did a drug screening which indicated he was clean for other drug use(iligeal or otherwise). Micheal was not a drug user he occasionly smoked pot,(I hope that statement does not make you delete this story) which I believe had he still been able to smoke he would still be alive because he said that really helped his pain. He tried to do things right(because he was on probation) and that is what killed him. Going to get legit prescription drugs is what killed my brother. To make a long story short, He had called my father the night before he died and said he had just picked up this prescription(OxyContin)and the doctor had told him it would help his pain but it would slur his speech and make him very drowsy but nowhere on the bottle we found or said to Michael was absoutley do not mix this with any other drugs and that night was the last time my father spoke to his son. The autopsy report, which my father had mailed to him six months later(while we wondered what had happened) the autopsy report said he had an allergic reaction and died from a result of that and it said he had minute traces of three other PRESCRIPTION drugs(nothing ilegeal)and OXYCONTIN in his system and he had only gotten that prescription (OXYCONTIN) two days before his death. Had Micheal been made aware of the dangers of this drug and that it should not be mixed with anything he might be still be alive. It has been seven months after his death and my family is still in shock. We are left wondering what happened? The prescription for OxyContin is written like it is baby aspirin and I after never hearing about this drug to it killing my brother I hope that he did not die in vain. I have learned that it is very addictive and that cannot be mixed with anything or even broken in half that the effects are that much worse and after hearing the story about the boy who this page is dedicted to; seeing it on MTV, I hope this drug is taken off the market. There are many other drugs that can help pain that don't KILL you after one dose and that are not highly addictive. It should be taken off the market so more innocent people do not die and in my opinion the people that say it is great and wonderful just might be addicted and not know how to get off it. I have to go through the rest of my life without my brother MICHEAL and my family has to go through life without him and his best friend in the world (his dog Jesse) is still wondering where he his everytime she hears a car that sounds like his coming down the street she goes crazy and thinks its him coming home. She lives with my parents now. I hope this story helps someone and I know after reading the other stories on this site have made me cry and it is just pointless that someone who was full of life and happy is no longer here for no reason except that he looked for help for his pain and instead ended up dead. Well he has no more pain but me and family are left crying everyday and still wondering WHY? Christine Ryan(Micheal's sister)

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