Hillsborough jails see increasing number of pain pill addicts

17:47 Hillsborough jails see increasing number of pain pill addicts 0 Comments

The inmates shiver at the medical screening station, sweat coating clammy skin. Then the dizziness and nausea hits.

That's when nurse Jessica McCray knows the person just booked into Orient Road Jail is in the early stages of withdrawal from prescription painkillers.

"Usually, they've taken it in the last eight hours," McCray said. "A lot of them are concerned about withdrawal. They're going to be hurting."

Jail cells are no barriers against the prescription pill problem plaguing society.

Thirty-one percent of inmates in Hillsborough County jails said they took pills within a week of their latest arrest. Fifty-three percent of inmates said oxycodone, Oxycontin or Roxicodone was their drug of choice.

The data is based on an informal survey of 438 inmates conducted last month at the behest of Sheriff David Gee, who wanted to know how prevalent the problem is, said Col. Jim Previtera, the director of county jails.

The jail population is about 3,000.

"The jail is a microcosm of the community," Previtera said. "Until it's controlled in the community, we have to deal with the aftermath."

The number of inmates addicted to opiate-based medication such as oxycodone or hydrocodone has risen over the last five years, said Beth Weaver, medical adviser for the sheriff's office.

The rise mirrors what's happening in the outside world, with Florida gaining a reputation as the epicenter of prescription pill abuse, Previtera said.

About 36 percent of inmates are arrested for the possession or abuse of painkillers, according to the survey. Fifty-one percent have gone through withdrawal during their current sentence or their previous one.

"This is starting to have a serious impact on the jail and the inmate population," Previtera said.

Taxpayers are also affected. Detoxification and treatment programs for inmates adds to medical costs, Previtera said, and detention deputies have to get additional training to learn how to recognize and handle pill addicts.

Prescription pill abuse has caught the attention of state lawmakers who say Tampa and parts of South Florida are hubs for so-called "pill mills," illicit pain management clinics that dole out massive prescriptions. Gov. Rick Scott said that 98 of the nation's top 100 oxycodone-purchasing physicians are in Florida.

Visitors from other states were known to travel here to buy pills because of lax regulations then return to their home states to sell them at higher prices.

Tougher laws regarding the ownership and operation of pain management clinics were approved by the Legislature earlier this year.

The new laws establish standards of care for doctors who prescribe narcotic-grade pills, requiring them to register with the state Department of Health and bans doctors from dispensing the most abused narcotics. Penalties against doctors who overprescribe pills have been toughened, with a minimum $10,000 fine and six-month suspensions.

The legislation, signed by Scott on June 3, also establishes the creation of a prescription-drug monitoring database. The system, expected to go online by Oct. 1, will track where and how often opiate-based medication is prescribed.

Previtera said it's too early to tell if these measures will curb the jails' prescription pill problem. Another survey of inmates will be conducted in the fall to see if the new laws have had any effect.

"The jail can't bear the weight of this problem on our own," he said. "It wasn't designed to handle this epidemic. The best we can do is manage it."

The first step usually involves inmates going through a detoxification program. Weaver, the sheriff's medical adviser, said withdrawal symptoms can arise between eight to 72 hours, depending on the type of prescription medication.

McCray, the nurse, said it can be difficult seeing people go through the pain.

"It's my job, but sometimes it kind of pulls out your heartstrings," she said.

Symptoms include profuse sweating, nausea, vomiting, tremors and a decrease in appetite.

"It makes you feel you're going to die," said John Maslanka, a drug abuse counselor for the county's jails. "You can't think of anything except using that drug again."

Inmates are given medical kits that target the symptoms of withdrawal to ease the pain and discomfort, Weaver said.

There is only one long-term treatment option in jail, an eight-week counseling program primarily for addicts ordered by the court to get their substance abuse under control. There are few spots available for inmates who want to voluntarily sign up for the program, Previtera said.

About a dozen inmates participate in each eight-week session. Not all can be helped.

"Some people are just so broken," drug counselor Gretchen Sanchez said. "It takes a lot to put them together."

At least one person in each group is a success story, the counselors said.

Shannon Collins is one of them. She completed the jail's counseling program in January, after she violated probation for possession of a controlled substance. Collins, 39, said she became hooked on painkillers after she injured her back in a car crash about eight years ago.

The addiction caused her to lose her job and her family. Collins said she was high when she signed documents allowing her ex-husband to have custody of their son.

"I allowed it to ruin my life," she said. "The addiction to pills led to heroin. You get to the point when 200 pills a month aren't enough."

Counseling from Sanchez has helped Collins learn how to keep temptation in check. She's out of jail and enrolled in a long-term treatment program. She's interviewing for jobs and trying to get her life on track.

"I want to stay sober," Collins said. "I want a different life."