Online Pharmacy Medicine Blog

A Utah mother who lost her son to OxyContin abuse is taking her case to Washington, D.C., and fighting to have the prescription drug taken off the market.

Sandra Kresser’s son Josh died three years ago of a drug overdose after a long battle with addiction, which began when he was prescribed OxyContin after back surgery.

Kresser says the drug is simply too addictive and too dangerous:

At this point we are now calling for a ban on OxyContin. If the FDA doesn’t, then the people on the FDA need to be replaced because they are not doing their job to protect the safety and well being of the American public.

In 2007, prescription drug overdoses led to more deaths in Utah than either car accidents or illicit narcotics.

Kresser is urging concerned Americans to sign an OxyContin petition asking the FDA to ban the drug. It reads in part:

OxyContin has been implicated in many times more U.S. deaths than caused by 9/11 and the Iraq War combined since Purdue Pharma began producing and selling it in 1995. OxyContin is molecularly almost identical to and acts in the body in the same manner as heroin…

In 2007, Purdue and three top executives of Purdue Pharma pled guilty in Virginia in relation to misleading the public about the addictive qualities and safety of OxyContin and paid fines totaling over $634 million. But no Purdue Pharma executive went to jail and the FDA has allowed OxyContin to remain on the market…

By signing this petition, you are requesting the FDA to immediately ban the distribution of OxyContin to new patients…

The signatures page of the petition includes many heartbreaking stories. Here are just a few of them –

Mindy Savage: My husband is a recovering OxyContin addict. His addiction started after needing surgery for a broken femur. We are so blessed to still have him with us. It is a long hard battle that does not just hurt the individual, but the family as well.

Shay L. Clements: My older brother has been addicted to this for a couple years now. It’s a single pill that will take over your life just like heroin. I don’t see how these doctors can just prescribe them out like it’s nothing. If I could have one wish in this world it would be to ban OxyContin.

Carla Whiting: I work at a hospital and I see how many people’s lives are destroyed by addiction to pain medications. It sickens me to see the effects of addiction, particularly addiction to prescription medications. I am so glad that someone finally is standing up against such a horrible pandemic.

Kresser is heading to Washington to speak with lawmakers and FDA officials next week.

No, that headline’s not a joke. It’s true.

Viagra, Lipitor, Celebrex, Lyrica and about 70 other Pfizer-made prescription drugs are now available free of charge to Americans who’ve lost their jobs and health insurance coverage since January 1, 2009, thanks to a new program by the drugmaker.

The one caveat is that you must already be on the medication — and have been taking it for at least three months — to qualify for the free prescriptions.

According to the AP:

The 70-plus drugs covered in the program include several diabetes drugs and some of Pfizer’s top money makers, from cholesterol fighter Lipitor and painkiller Celebrex to fibromyalgia treatment Lyrica and Viagra for impotence. Also included are some antibiotics, antidepressants, heart medications, contraceptives and smoking cessation products…

Applicants will have to sign a statement that they are suffering financial hardship and provide a “pink slip” or similar employer notice. Applications will be accepted through Dec. 31, with medication provided for up to 12 months after approval — or until the person becomes insured again.

Patients can call 866-706-2400 to sign up for the program.