Grieving mom fighting to take OxyContin off the market
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.
August 29th, 2009 at 11:47 am
What about all the people out there who suffer from severe chronic pain everyday, and need oxycontin to help alleviate some of the pain. SO they can have some type of life with their families. Oxycontin if taken properly is safe and effective for PAIN. Sorry for the mother’s loss, but Oxycontin was not made for recreational use/abuse. Not the Oxycontin’s fault!
September 7th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
I was prescribed Oxycontin for chronic back pain years back. I was on it for 5 years straight, 120mg a day. I decided to get off this drug when i was 29 years old and it was a nightmare. I am now 31 and when i look back it was a miracle i got off this drug, i went threw some serious hell. Finally i am started to feel normal again, sober and free! no more bondage to a pain pill! Thanks to my loving family and God for helping me threw some horrific times. Some might be wondering why i went off this drug, well first of all i got sick and tired of being addicted to this drug and it was starting to control every area of my life. Sure it helped with my pain but as years past my tolerance went up so i had to take more to ease my pain. I didn’t want to end up taking this medicine for the rest of my life. I was told by a Doctor that he now tells his patients being prescribed Oxycontin to plan on being on it for the rest of your life because it is almost impossible to come off this drug. Honesty i think the only people who should be prescribed this medicine is for people who are on their sick bed and the pain is so severe they cannot get out of bed and for the elderly to comfort them in there last days.
September 20th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
I lost my son Joseph Thomas Hall IV on 08-10-09. I found my boy laying on his bedroom floor from Oxycontin. I had no idea my boy even had this. I had no idea my son even had this powerful, deadly drug. As a mother finding my son at 11am that horrible Monday morning on the floor, I tried so hard to wake him up but he just would not wake up. I tried several times to explain to the police, the corners begging them to let me go to my son that I could fix this. But as I have come to these horrible tragic ending this was one that I could not fix as a mother. God Forbid, but should this deadly drug take the life of one the makers of this drug, then maybe they would know the anger, sadness, tears that will not stop, numbiness and the list goes on..then and only then maybe they will hear our cries for help.
In Memory Of Joseph Thomas Hall IV
09-19-84 to 08-10-09
October 28th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Stop the Ox…join us to fight this demon….Its new, we will get international exposure soon…STOP THE OX…Pardue Pharma is killing our young people….join me to help get the media exposure that we nee…Stop THE OX..
November 7th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Alcohol obviously has addictive properties. Why aren’t you asking to take this off the market? Many substances that are merely recreational or that really do help a certain number of people can be addictive. The users of oxycontin need to be monitored very closely, especially when they ask for an increase in dosage. My sister has an addictive personality and I believe has become addicted to oxycontin. However, her doctors provide no oversight or control. They simply give her what she wants. But, just because she has problems controlling her addiction, doesn’t mean that the drug doesn’t help millions of chronic pain sufferers. They should not be denied access to a drug that can make their lives worth living. For the people who overdosed, I am sorry you have lost a loved one. But they were misusing a drug intended to help people who aren/t just partying, but are trying to live as normal a life as they can given their painful conditions.