Popular painkillers like OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet are being blamed for the sudden spike of drug addiction, overdoses and death. Today KTLA begins a special Health Smart series with a raw look at an epidemic that doctors warn could ravage anyone at any time. But a new test could be a real game changer, as Jessica Holmes reports.
It can happen to anyone. It is happening to anyone, no matter your age or income.
Unfortunately, I was addicted from the very first time I took pain medication.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns popping just one can detonate a deadly downward spiral.
I hurt my back, and a pain doctor prescribed 380 milligram of those to me a day, and 4 30 oxycodone a day, and three Valium 10 a day.
This stuff is given out like candy. You don’t find this addiction anywhere else in the world.
Just do a mouth swab, and it basically determines your genetic makeup, your DNA.
Though in Dr. Hooman Melamed’s Marina del Rey office, it’s open.
Just go like that a little bit there, and do another one. Okay, excellent.
The spine surgeon offers patients in pain a breakthrough DNA test before writing scripts.
All have different genetic makeup, so you may respond very differently to the OxyContin than I do or somebody else does. So now there’s this genetic markers that tells us who can respond better and how we metabolize the drug, which patient can potentially can become an addict.
Basically I went through all of the over-the-counter medicines to see if anything would work, and it really didn’t. A glass of wine or two helped the most, which is also scary because I have alcoholics in my family.
With statistics showing nearly 2 million Americans abuse physician order doses, but blinded by debilitating disc injuries.
The best way I can describe it is a body migraine. I understand why people would do anything possible to get rid of the pain.
Lifelong dancer Deborah Brockos opted to open wide for the opiate risk analysis swab, since the 54-year-old opposes many MDs’ one-pill-fixes-all prescription.
For example, tramadol, you can have increases of becoming dependent on it.
It nailed my pain. I had surgery, pain-free recovery, no side effects, and gone. I didn’t have to take a billion drugs. I took what was right for me.
The most important thing every patient should be aware: these narcotics are bad, and they have to be very careful. They need to understand that these are not good things to take long term. Find a solution for the problem. There’s no reason why this country should have the highest addiction rate.
All right, tune in tonight to KTLA 5 News at 10 for the rest of the story. Results, by the way, of the DNA swab test take about a week to get back from the lab. And coming up at 3 p.m., the perilous path of pills leading many to the streets in search of a cheap high of heroin, and experts warn it can’t happen to anyone. We will talk to a Orange County star student about her dangerous spiral. That’s at three o’clock. All right, more of your top stories coming up next. We are live from
