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Samantha Hayes ReportingA commonly prescribed painkiller now comes with a very serious warning. Thousands all over the nation, including Utah, have died accidentally from too much Methadone.
Methadone is effective for a few hours, but sticks around the body for a long time. Patients have a tendency to over medicate, then the build up of the drug affects breathing. The result, over and over again, has been lethal.
Karen Lasrich's brother was in severe pain all the time, even as he held his new baby boy. He was prescribed Methadone.
Karen Lasrich, Sister: "It was a brand new bottle. December 3rd and he was found December 4th."
Lasrich thinks he may have taken more of the painkiller than his doctor prescribed.
Karen Lasrich: "I can't tell you the grief I still carry and I will for the rest of my life."
What happened to her brother has happened to hundreds of others in Utah. Dr. Lynn Webster recently began a national education campaign to inform doctors and patients about unintentional overdose deaths.
Dr. Lynn Webster, President, Utah Academy of Pain Medicine: "We have not paid enough attention to the power behind these pain medicines. We don't respect them enough. We need to change that."
Dr. Webster developed six steps to educate the public.He emphasizes...
- Never take painkillers prescribed to others
- Do not take pain medicine with alcohol
- Do not take more doses than prescribed
- Lasrich hopes that message will save lives.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports methadone as the cause of more than 2400 deaths in 2003, up from 623 in 1999.
