A dangerous prescription
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| Alex Wolf’s parents, Tamara and Marty; brother-in-law, Bryan Plummer; sister, Kimberly; and nephew, Brody, 3, are reflected in a mirror a family friend made after Alex died Aug. 7, 2009, from the effects of a combination of his anti-anxiety medication and oxycodone, a powerful pain reliever for which he did not have a prescription. The family decided to use money donated to a memorial fund to launch “Prescription Drugs: A Prescription for Disaster,” a public awareness campaign to educate the public about prescription drug abuse. (Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@svnmail.com) |
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ROCK FALLS – Alex Wolf was known for a lot of things – his love of animals and the Chicago Bears, his kindness and sensitivity, and above all, his mischievous smile.
The 23-year-old was working toward a degree in criminal justice through Sauk Valley Community College in the hope of becoming a probation officer.
Now, he's known for something else. His face and story have become the subject of a four-county educational campaign warning of the ever-increasing problem of misuse and abuse of prescription drugs.
On Aug. 7, 2009, Alex died from the effects of a combination of his anti-anxiety medication and oxycodone, a powerful pain reliever for which he did not have a prescription.
Sadly, Alex's story is not uncommon. The problem of prescription drug abuse and overdoses has affected many communities across the country.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an estimated 48 million people – or 20 percent of the U.S. population – use prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons.
Locally, addictions specialists and local authorities say the problem has increased over the past several years.
A 'therapeutic dose' turned deadly
In 2006, Alex was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. His mother, Tamara Wolf, said some of his problems started after a cousin's suicide.
Tamara Wolf, 50, is a family resource coordinator at Sinnissippi Centers, which has offices in Carroll, Lee, Ogle, and Whiteside counties.
"I don't think anybody knew how bad his anxiety was," she said. "It was a daily struggle. As his mom and his dad and his siblings, we could tell when Alex was having a bad moment or a bad day – we could see it in his eyes, kind of a panic, or he'd get quiet and withdrawn."
He was prescribed anti-anxiety medication that he took regularly, Tamara said, and he sought treatment at Sinnissippi Centers.
His overdose came as a shock to the family, she said.
"I can only think that he discovered this very recently prior to his death," Tamara said. "We were looking for jobs [for Alex], and he was passing urine tests to get jobs."
In the days after his death, the family learned Alex had been at a friend's house in Sterling. The friend told police that Alex had been acting strangely that night, so she took his car keys and put him to bed.
Alex never woke up.
An autopsy revealed he had a therapeutic dose of both his anti-anxiety medication and oxycodone.
"That's what's scary, because it was a therapeutic dose," said his dad, Marty, 53.
His death left many questions: Where did he get the oxycodone? How long had he been taking it?
"This is the last thing we had expected," Marty said. "We always worried about him, but we didn't expect this."
A medicated society
Natalie Andrews, addiction services director at Sinnissippi Centers, said 58 clients were treated for prescription drug addictions from July 2009 through the end of June of this year.
While marijuana, alcohol, and cocaine remain the most common addictive substances treated, prescription drug abuse is steadily rising, she said.
Andrews said that in most cases, a person can get "accidentally" hooked on prescription drugs.
"I think there's some non-intended addiction," she said, "meaning that they're originally taking it for pain relief and they become addicted by taking more and more of it."
Vicodin is the No. 1 "pill of choice" among clients, Andrews said.
Sinnissippi staff also see addictions to other prescriptions, such as Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, morphine, Percocet, and methadone, a powerful pain reliever that also helps to lessen withdrawal symptoms in heroin and narcotics users, Andrews said.
Among adolescents, staffers see abuse of Ritalin and Adderall, as well as over-the-counter medications such as cold medicines, she said.
It can be difficult treating people who have addictions to powerful pain relievers, Andrews said.
"I think it's very difficult to treat because you have to tease out what your pain tolerance is," she said, "what is the appropriate dosage of the medication to alleviate the pain."
To wean clients off pain medications, Andrews said, it's important to look at all alternative forms of pain relief – such as yoga, weight loss and meditation.
Some clients come in with addictions to more than one prescription drug, which complicates treatment.
"For addiction treatment, you're looking for abstinence from substances," Andrews said. "You have to provide an alternative for pain-relieving remedies, and then have to build skills to help as a substitute for that."
Andrews said the dependence on prescription drugs may be linked to a societal mindset of numbing pain, no matter whether it's physical or emotional.
"We're a society that's consumed with feeling good, but not having to work too hard to feel good," Andrews said. "Therefore, 'I'll take this kid's Ritalin to see if that makes me feel different.'"
Pills on the streets
Local police departments are seeing more cases of prescription drug use.
Sterling and Dixon police say the trend started about 5 years ago, and spans all ages, from teenagers to the elderly.
"There is no regular profile," said Dixon Police Detective Sgt. Matt Richards. "It could be your attorney, it could be a convicted felon – it really doesn't matter."
Sterling Detective Sgt. John Trancoso said the primary prescription drug the department sees abused is Vicodin, followed by oxycodone.
Vicodin is easier to get, he said, and it carries a lesser punishment than oxycodone, which may explain why the department sees more of the drug.
Typically, the street value of a pill of Vicodin runs between $8 and $10, Trancoso said.
Richards added that many people don't realize how dangerous prescription drugs can be because they are legal and, in most cases, prescribed by a doctor.
"I don't think they realize that it's addictive, so they don't realize how serious it is," Richards said. "It's not taboo yet because it's legal. It doesn't carry the same stigma as cocaine or cannabis. It's definitely on the increase."
Dixon police typically see more cases involving a person who has a legitimate prescription but sells the medication instead of using it.
Sterling police see that, too, as well as cases in which a doctor's prescription pad is stolen and prescriptions are forged, Trancoso said. Some people shop around from doctor to doctor and pharmacy to pharmacy in different cities and counties, he said.
"If there's someone who fills a 30-day prescription, and returns a week later to get another fill, the lights start going on that something's not right," Trancoso said.
Another problem Trancoso sees is that many people don't know just how much of the medication they have in the bottle. On average, people use about seven pills of the medication, then leave the bottle in the medicine cabinet.
"You never know if your kids or grandkids are going in there and they're taking some of those pills," he said. "If you don't know how much you have in there, you would have no idea that someone is taking them."
He said he's also heard of cases in which a person attends a real estate agent's open house, asks to use the bathroom, then rifles through medicine cabinets to steal pills or write down the information on the bottle so they can buy the drugs online.
Bringing awareness
Family and friends of the Wolfs donated $3,000 to a memorial fund set up in Alex's name.
Tamara said the family decided to use that money to launch "Prescription Drugs: A Prescription for Disaster," a public awareness campaign to educate the public about prescription drug abuse.
The main goal of the program is to remove the stigma attached to mental illness and to dispel the myth that prescription drugs are "safe," she said.
"Sixty to 70 percent get it from a relative's or friend's medicine cabinet, so you don't have to find that local drug dealer," Tamara said. "They don't consider it 'icky' – we really want to destroy that belief system."
They were assisted in their efforts by the Sinnissippi Foundation, which matched the money raised in the memorial fund.
"At first when you lose someone, you just have to do something," Tamara said. "So this campaign gave us something that we could do."
The family worked to pick out photos of Alex to use on posters and billboards. So far, three billboards are up in Sterling, one in Rock Falls, one in Milledgeville, and four are in Galena.
Alex's sister, Kimberly Plummer, 28, recorded a radio ad about the program and how to get involved.
His twin brother, Aaron, 24, has maintained a Facebook page about the dangers of abusing prescription medications.
This school year, Tamara wants to work with the center to give middle and high school students in the four counties a presentation on prescription drug abuse.
"That's what I'm most excited and passionate about," she said. "It's important to get that message out to the kids."
She also wants to begin a program for people to turn in unused prescription drugs for proper disposal.
To prevent thefts of excess prescription drugs, Trancoso urges anyone in the medical field, as well as homeowners, to lock up prescriptions and prescription pads, and to keep track of how many pills are left in each bottle.
While it hasn't been easy, the Wolf family has kept Alex's legacy alive by trying to help others before it's too late.
"He was more than the manner of his death," his mother said. "We all have so many regrets. ... But he did the best he could, and we did the best we could.
"That's what gets us through. We just thought we'd have more time."
To Help
Anyone interested in helping to further fund the Alex Wolf awareness campaign can send donations to Sinnissippi Centers at 25 Illinois Route 2, Suite 100; Dixon, IL 61021.
