Mylan Fentanyl Patch New Choice Of Drug To Abuse

Oral Use Of Generic Fentanyl Patch Clear Choice For Painkiller Abusers... by Jack Swint

For at least the past 12 years, the choice of doctor prescribed recreational painkillers in the Appalachian Region has been OxyContin. Nicknamed, "Hillbilly Heroin," it is no accident this epidemic took root in the Appalachians, traditionally the poorest region in the country. With a doctor's prescription, health insurance and or Medicaid assistance, OxyContin (a brand name for the synthetic opiate oxycodone) can cost virtually nothing at a pharmacy. Resale value on the street for a prescription is often worth over $1,000.

One of the key manufacturers of OxyContin is Mylan Pharmaceuticals. We're somewhat confident that CEO Heather Bresch, who also happens to be a WV homegirl and daughter of US Senator Joe Manchin, wasn't planning for the abuse of their drugs to become an epidemic in West Virginia and across the country.

The high rate of injuries and chronic pain among workers in the mining and logging industries helped cause the narcotic to quickly find its way into a lot of bathroom medicine cabinets and kitchen cupboards. Then as the abuse escalated, OxyContin quickly reached epidemic proportions across the nation and represented the worst single-drug outbreak the US has seen since the 19th century, when opiates were the most prescribed medicine in the country, and morphine or opium addiction was rampant.

Now, with employers requiring drug screening and new legislation being introduced for mandatory-random testing in the coal industry, oxycodone abusers are searching for a new painkiller that does not show up in urine drug testing for opiates.

It appears Mylan has answered their prayers once again.

Out With The Old And In With The New

According to Appalachians news website "UpTheHoller.com," Mylan's generic fentanyl patch painkiller has created a new slang word for recreational drug abuse called... "Lippin."

The prescribed method for this Fentanyl Transdermal System is through a non gel patch that delivers the opioid pain medication, slowly through the skin and into the body, where it works to relieve pain for up to 3 days (72 hours). This medication is for moderate to severe chronic pain that can provide long-lasting relief from persistent pain. Mylan claims that their patch is tamperproof, and can only be used as prescribed. But, according to unidentified sources throughout southern WV, that's not true!

Mylan's re-invention of it's generic fentanyl patch is now replacing OxyContin (Hillbilly Heroine) as the new drug to abuse because of the blissful feeling achieved and fentanyl is not testing positive in standard drug tests. On the surface, it appears Mylan's non gel version will be just as, if not more in demand than OxyContin ever was.

The new "Lippin" method is accomplished by placing cut up strips of the patch between the cheek and gums in the same fashion as dipping snuff. A less popular method of abuse even includes injecting the drug into their veins. Our source also claims that..." Unlike other brands, Mylan's patch specifically, won't cause the user to choke on too much spit when it's rolled up 'twixt the cheek and gums." According to Mylan's Website, "Fentanyl transdermal system is a potent Schedule II opioid; these drugs have the highest potential for abuse and associated risk of fatal overdoses due to respiratory depression."

A quick internet search on how to digest the fentanyl patch brings up 20 to 30 links and instructions. "Start off with cutting the equivalent to 6mcg/hr, so ½ of a 12mcg patch. Place it up against your cheek, avoiding swallowing your saliva, lightly sucking in your cheeks in to apply pressure to it. Make sure it’s the actual sticky adhesive part against your cheek, that’s where the drug is stored after all." This has a much faster absorption rate so expect the initial effects to be present around the 15-20min mark, peaking around 60-90mins. If you start to feel uneasy or overwhelmed at any point in time, take the patch out immediately."

Worse Than Heroin?

Fentanyl is increasingly abused for its intense euphoric effects that can serve as a direct substitute for heroin in opioid dependent individuals. However, fentanyl is a very dangerous substitute for heroin because it is much more potent than heroin and results in frequent overdoses that can lead to respiratory depression and death. Used patches are attractive to abusers as a large percentage of fentanyl remains in these patches even after a 3-day use. In fact, out of 15 internet threads and discussion boards, 12 stressed not abusing fentanyl because of the dangerous possibilities of overdosing.

Terms like "kiss of death" and "pure suicide" are words fentanyl abusers use to describe this painkiller. Others say the withdrawals are horrible. "When using (abusing) fentanyl you are playing with fire and should take as many precautions as possible. Have someone ready with a shot of naloxone the first time you try it and experiment with doses, and ideally always have someone with you."

Is Fentanyl Addictive?

How addictive is fentanyl? After long-term use, fentanyl can become very addictive and can interfere with the way your body responds to pleasure by interfering with your ability to feel pleasure from normal stimuli, such as an evening out with friends or a relaxing dinner. The more you abuse fentanyl, the more fentanyl you will need to take to get a "high" or feel pleasure from the drug. This becomes a downward spiral, in which you need to take increasingly higher doses of fentanyl.

Will Mylan Generic Fentanyl Test Positive In Drug Screenings

Unless a test is performed specifically to find fentanyl, it will not show up on a standard urine drug screen. While it is an opioid analgesic of the same class of morphine, it is in a different subclass. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid were morphine is a natural occurring opioid that is extracted from the poppy plant. The chemical structure is very different between these two substances which leads to different methods of metabolism in the body. The urine drug screen picks up the metabolites of typical drugs of abuse such as morphine or codein or hydromorphone.

In Closing,

We are confident that Mylan Pharmaceutical does not manufacture OxyContin or Fentanyl Patches for the purpose of them being abused. But, they need to address the epidemic that their product has created instead of calling it "tamperproof." Maybe they could invest in an advertising campaign like the current and very graphic TV ad segments depicting actual people who now have cancer and other serious visible health deformities due to their years of cigarette smoking. (see link below)

Doctors prescribe fentanyl for many patients, especially cancer sufferers, who no longer respond to less powerful pain relievers. Sometimes doctors administer fentanyl during surgery. Even in its intended use, fentanyl is a very powerful pain reliever that is absorbed into the skin from a patch prescribed for people with long-term (chronic) pain who have already been taking high doses of prescription opioid (narcotic) pain medicine for at least a week.

Serious harm or death has resulted when this drug was taken in high doses by people who have not been taking other prescription opioid pain medicine for 7 days or more. OxyContin, Fentanyl and any other prescribed medication not taken as prescribed or intended is abuse. Most fentanyl patch abusers are actually going on record warning of the extremely high consequences of misusing this medication by ingesting it.

Information provided by the Ohio Resource Network for Safe and Drug Free Schools & Communities links fentanyl's illicit appeal with its ability to provide "a day's worth of narcotics in a single dose." One of the many problems with that mindset is that a fentanyl patch, which is designed to slowly release the drug over a period of up to three days, may contain a dose much larger than even a hardened addict can withstand. "Because the patch is a sustained release form of the drug, if one withdraws the 72 hours' worth of drug and uses it in a form that it wasn't designed to be used for, then it can rapidly result in death," Bruce Goldberger, Ph.D., University of Florida

If you have begun using fentanyl in ways that are not intended by your doctor, you should call 1-877-653-90875 for assistance.

End Of Story....

Jack Swint-Publisher
West Virginia News
E-Mail:　 WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Website: http://WVNewsOnline.com
Blog: http://WestVirginiaNews.blogspot.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
LinkedIn: Jack Swint

Links

Up The Holler


Center For Disease 'Former Smokers'
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LinkedIn: Jack Swint