Methadone: One Pill Can Kill

Killing More Than Pain, Killing Patients

By Jim Avila & Bonne Vangilder (As seen on ABC NEWS)

Sept. 22, 2006 - Pain pills are the new "pocket gold" on the street, so valuable to drub dealers that the neighborhood prescription counter has become the taret of routine holdups.

bandits havbe been caught on surveillance video jumping over counters, not for cash in the register, but for Percocets, OxyContin, and a new favorite, methadone.

No matter how it is acquired, illegally or by prescription, methadone is not the leading drug killer in many states. In North Carolina, methadone-related deaths have increased by 50 times in recent years, skyrocketing to more than one death every other day.


CHEAP & LETHAL

Methadone is prescribed more frequently and sole on the street for as little as 25 cents a pill.

Ruth Winecher, a cheif toxicologist for the North Carolina MEdical Examiner's Office, says methadone is so cheap, insurance companies promote its use.

Often doctos wrongly prescribe methadone for temporary pain, such as a migraine headache, menstrual cramps, or a pulled tooth. Winecher says the danger with methadone is that it stays in your body for a long time.

About 15 hours after you take a methadone tablet, half of the tablet is still active in your system. Now autopsy reports are showing that even people who suffer legitimate pain and have a prescription from their doctos can be at rish.


LIVES LOST TO METHADONE

Michael Houston, 17, of Winston-Salem, N.C., lost his life to methadone. His parents, Terry and Lisa Houston, say he had too many activities on his plate to be a drug abuser. He was active in church you groups; played guitar and baseball; and had an after-school job and a girlfriend. His father, Terry Houston, remembers that his son was very congestes and was not sleeping well at night.

"Someone may have told him, "Take this [pill]. This will help you rest. You'll get a good night's sleep," Houston said. Houston says his son came home from work one night and went to sleep around 10:30. the next morning, he didn't wake up. He was rushed to the hostpial by ambulance and was put on a breathing machine for a day and a half.

Michael Houston was pronounced dead. Terry Houston says the autopsy showed that they only drug in his son's system was about 10 miligrams to 15 miligrams of methadone -- only one pill........