Florida Pill Mills

Florida Pill Mills

When tourists use to think of Florida, they would picture Theme Parks, sunny afternoons and beaches within driving distance of anywhere they wished to stay. People would drive days to visit the “Sunshine State”. The picture to the left is an example of the newest reason people drive thousands of miles to visit the sunshine state. For the last ten years Florida has been known as the pill mill capital by many opiate users. The term “pill mill” is used to describe the corrupt doctors’ offices that are freely handing out prescription narcotics such as Oxycontin, Roxiecodone, Oxydose and Xanax. These drugs are highly addictive and, according to Florida's Attorny General, are the cause of more than 75% of drug related deaths in Florida. The physical withdrawal symptoms from these prescriptions are so severe, only 5% of abusers recover without inpatient rehabilitation. I myself have had the unfortunate experience of addiction to prescription pills, so this topic hits close to home for me. Out of the top fifty Oxycontin distributors in the US, forty-nine are located in Florida.   People traveling from all over have nicknamed our highways the "Oxy Express". Narcotic pill-seekers come from all over the US in hopes of finding a doctor to provide them with all the pills their heart desires. Some of these patients are prescribed up to six hundred narcotic pain and anti-anxiety pills per visit. I know this because I was one of them. Taking cash only, Florida pain clinics take in hundreds of thousands of dollars a day. The only requirements to become a patient are a pocket full of cash and an MRI which can be provided to you for an additional cash payment. I made my first appointment with a local pill mill after my family doctor refused to write me a refill for my pain medication. The medication was originally given to me after suffering pain from a mistake made while receiving an epidural. 

Although I no longer suffered pain I had an undeniable addiction to opiate pain medication. During my first encounter with my pill mill doctor, I was given four hundred and fifty narcotic pain pills and an appointment to come back for more the following month. I had found myself a legal drug dealer. Even in the mist of my addiction, I knew what these doctors were doing was wrong. These pill mills get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the act of creating as many addicts as they can and sending them out onto our streets. Once a person becomes addicted to opiates, they have less than a 30% chance of recovering. Out of those who do recover, only 10% will stay clean. Out of that, 5% will manage to avoid relapse. Not only are these pills being swallowed  they are smoked, snorted and injected to reach the desired effect. Many opiate addicts will tell you how badly they wish to get off the pills. Once the addiction really sets in, the user no longer gets high from the drug. They continue using to feel normal. Without the pills, the addict is too sick to function. The withdrawal from opiates is much like having the flu, only way more intense. Your body aches terribly while your legs begin to cramp so badly, it is impossible to lay still. Nausea and diarrhea set in and eating is out of the question. Your head hurts so badly from trying to think of a way to score the needed drugs and the more you think about it, the worse you feel. At that point it doesn't matter who they hurt, or what they have to do, that next pill is the only thing that 

matters. Most addicts not only lose themselves during addiction, they lose their family, friends, house, car and any other possessions they can sell for the drug. I was no exception. The opiate withdrawal was always too much for me to handle. The physical pain mixed with the mental agony of knowing just one little pill could make me feel so much better made it almost impossible to fight the withdrawals long enough to begin recovery.  
Every day, more than fifty-five hundred people begin to abuse prescription medications. A good majority either reside in Florida or travel to Florida to visit our pill mills. Eight-five percent of pain pill prescriptions come from Florida due to the lack of prescription regulations and monitoring. Although Florida has finally decided to put monitoring programs in place,  many have already lost so much to this epidemic. Prescription drugs are now killing far more people than illegal drugs.  In the US, an average of one person every five minutes dies from abusing pain medication. In Florida alone, an average of seven people die every day from this epidemic. It kills me to know that this problem will continue to grow until we find a way to stand up against pill mills and the corrupt doctors who run them. These doctors are giving a bad name to the legit doctors who have taken their oath seriously. 

Although opiate addiction is a though fight to win, it can be done. I have been clean for many years now. Still, today I go to counseling and meetings to maintain my sobriety. Not everyone is so lucky though. In the past ten years I have lost five loved ones to prescription pain pill addiction. Until something is done about these clinics, the rise in pain pill addiction will continue. Many wonder why more hasn't been done about pill mills and the doctors who run them. Who benefits from this system, beyond the shady doctors and pharmacists who run this scam? The state government collects sales tax from the pharmacy and licensing fees from the mills. Then there are the drug makers and investors who specialize in the production of only addictive drugs. Lawyers benefit by prosecuting or defending pill mill operators and addicts. It seems to me the only ones losing in this deal are the addicts and their families. So until something changes, the only thing we can do as a community is educate our children and try our best to tell anyone who will listen to stay clear of these pain clinics. I talk to my daughters all the time about prescription drugs and will continue to do so to ensure they do not follow the same life debilitating path I did. 

Pain Clinics

Not all doctors are corrupt and not all pain clinics are legal drug pushers. There are those who legitimately need pain medication. Some pain clinics offer different methods of pain control. At a legit pain clinic, they will tailor your treatment to your specific needs. It is so important to do your homework before setting an appointment with a pain clinic. I failed to do so and it resulted in years of painful addiction. Before seeking treatment at any pain clinic, first find out what types of treatment they offer. If the only treatment offered is pain control through opiate pain medication, there is a good chance this is not a legit clinic. Most pain management clinics offer a variety of treatments such as physical therapy, electrical stimulation, corticosteroids and many non addictive methods of pain relief. Most doctors will ask if you or anyone in your family has a history of drug abuse or opiate addiction. If you doctor doesn't ask this it is important to let him know anyway. This will help the doctor better chose the proper way to treat your pain. The pill mill epidemic has made it so much harder for people who are really in need of the medication. Doctors are now forced to judge whether the patient is actually in need or just drug seeking, leaving some patients who actually need the medication in pain and without proper care. Many doctors are no longer comfortable writing narcotic prescriptions to patients and it is becoming harder for those who need the medication to find a physician to care for them. Pill Mill doctors are not only making millions of dollars selling prescriptions to addicts, they are making it impossible for honest and upstanding citizens to receive proper care for their chronic pain issues. 

Since The "Crack Down"

In 2011, Florida began doing their best to crack down on the pill mills giving our state the "Oxy Express" nickname. Florida created a statewide strike force to provide money, intelligence and investigative support to regional law enforcement teams set up to fight criminal distribution of prescription drugs. Before the crackdown, Florida had 90 the nation's top 100 Oxycontin-purchasing doctors and 53 of its top 100 Oxycontin purchasing pharmacies. Those numbers have dropped to 13 of the top 100 doctors and 19 of the top 100 pharmacies. The number of pill mills have dropped by almost thirty eight percent and Florida is moving quickly to suspend the medical licenses of doctors who prescribe pain killers abusively. Even the number of deaths have dropped by eight percent. We are still a long way from victory against this prescription drug war. Florida has finally put a prescription drug monitoring program into place that requires health care practitioners to report to the database when he or she:

* Administers a controlled substance directly to a patient if the amount   is adequate to treat the patient during that particular treatment session
* Administers a controlled substance to a patient or resident receiving care at a hospital, nursing home, ambulatory surgical center, hospice, or intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled
* Administers or dispenses a controlled substance in the health care system of the Department of Corrections
* Administers a controlled substance in the Emergency Room of a licensed hospital
* Administers or dispenses a controlled substance to a patient under the age of 16 or
* Dispenses a one-time, 72-hour re-supply of controlled substances.

While this isn't a quick fix, it is the beginning of shutting down the legal drug houses known as Florida Pill Mills. 

Before and After

Addiction

     

"The Oxycontin Express | Watch Documentary Onli"Florida Attorney General - Pill Mill Initiative."



"PAIN CLINICS OR LEGAL DOPE HOUSES? CNN INVESTIGATION." YouTube. CNN Reporter, 27 Feb. 2010. Web. 05 Mar. 2013.                                                   <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L1kxT0DqrU>.


"The Pill Mill Epidemic." Drug Rehabs The Pill Mill Epidemic Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2013.                                                                     <http://www.drugrehabs.com/article/the-pill-mill-epidemic>.


"Pain Clinics: What to Expect and How to Find One." WebMD. WebMD, 15 July 2012. Web. 9 Mar. 2013.
Pullen, Edward, MD. "Treatment of Chronic Pain Puts Doctors in a No Win Situation." KevinMD.com. N.p., Apr. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. <http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/04/treatment-chronic-pain-puts-doctors-win-situation.html>.
Reuters. "Florida Claims Success In 'Pill Mill' Crackdown." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Mar. 2012. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/florida-pill-mill-success-crackdown_n_1345918.html>.