The statistics are grim: From 2001-2008, there has been a 404.9 percent increase in reported deaths involving the pain medication oxycodone. The top 25 doctors who dispense oxycodone in the United States are right here in Florida. Last year, 192,400 OxyContin pills (a time-released form of oxycodone) were legally dispensed by doctors in pain centers in Pinellas County alone.
But the statistics reveal only part of the pain. They don't take into account the children left without mothers or fathers, the little brothers left with no one to look up to, the high school sweethearts torn apart. I sent out a plea via Facebook asking families to share their experiences; the response was overwhelming. Here are a few of their stories. (Names marked with asterisks have been changed at the request of interviewees.)
This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2010.