Growing effort to help decrease the number of opioid-related deaths in Utah


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OGDEN — From a small, plastic bottle, you can find relief.

You can also find heartache.

For Nicholas Call, it started from a baseball injury.

"I can tell you vividly, the first time taking a pill; knowing, feeling, 'Hey, this makes my back feel better but it also makes my body feel better.’"

But instead of keeping that experience tucked away, motivational speaking is what Call does full-time now, helping people who, like him, unexpectedly became addicted to prescription painkillers.

"It's this idea that my story can help people,” Call said. “It's almost a duty for me to get out and speak about this and to tell people the real world ramifications of this problem."

Call is helping kick off a campaign put on by Intermountain Healthcare, Weber County Human Services and Bonneville Communities that Care — reminding people to throw out leftover drugs and talk to their doctor about managing pain.

"Speak out in your discussions with your physician about how to manage pain, whether it's from a new injury or pain that's been ongoing," said Mikelle Moore of Intermountain Healthcare.

7,000 pill bottles were on display above the lobby at McKay-Dee Hospital. It’s the number of opioid prescriptions issued each day in Utah.

Call learned the hard way how it can get out of control.

“I lost my marriage, I lost my job, I lost my home, I lost the trust from my family,” Call said.

But since Call now uses that pain to help others, those pill bottles from his past serve a purpose.

“I think I’m better for it and I don't think I would trade it. I don't think I would take it back,” Call said.

Utah is number four in the nation for the most opioid abuse. According to data from the Utah Department of Health, deaths from opioid use spiked in 2007, when the state saw 326 deaths.

In 2008, the "Use Only as Directed" campaign kicked off. In 2009, new guidelines were released for prescribing opioids. The next year, opioid deaths dropped more than 27 percent to 236.

But since 2011, deaths have been on the rise. By 2014, the numbers increased nearly 27 percent to 300 deaths.

On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced new warnings for opioids. The FDA is now going to require drug companies to include information warning patients that combining opioids with benzodiazepines can have serious side effects.

Benzodiazepines are typically prescribed to treat anxiety, insomnia and seizure disorders. Health experts say some of those side effects include difficulty breathing, sleepiness, coma or even death.

Contributor: Xoel Cardenas

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