OxyContin is to be replaced with a new formula on March 1, which has police and health officials concerned about what alternatives opiate users will turn to once the prescription drug becomes unavailable.
OxyContin will no longer be manufactured in Canada after Feb. 29. The new formula of oxycodone is called OxyNEO and the transition is expected to be smooth for people using the pain medication as prescribed.
OxyNEO is also said to be harder to divert – to crush or melt down, which are the methods of choice for the many who choose to abuse the drug.
When the supply of OxyContin runs out and opiate users are left with the new, non-divertible drug, Thunder Bay Drug Strategy coordinator Patty Hajdu said that’s when the city will see an increase in demand for alternative opiates.
The patent on OxyContin has already run out in the United States and Hajdu said they’ve had the chance to see what’s happened to some U.S. communities that are struggling with high rates of opiate use.
“A very close substitute for prescription opiates is heroin. Some communities in the U.S. have seen an increase in heroin use and heroin trafficking in their communities because the demand is still there for opiate-based drugs,” said Hajdu.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation chiefs are calling for immediate assistance as they predict an impending health catastrophe.
With thousands of people in remote First Nations addicted to the prescription drug, they are anticipating mass withdrawal that includes symptoms like severe upset stomach, muscle and bone pain, anxiety and depression.
Hajdu said it could cause a health crisis with many First Nations having no access to treatment or aftercare.
“People are really stuck there. They can wait many, many months before they can access treatment and when they do receive treatment, when they return to their communities there is often very little support for them to continue on in their recovery,” she said.
The NAN Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force has repeatedly requested assistance from Health Canada and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care since November 2009 when the Chiefs-in-Assembly declared a state-of-emergency.
Some communities have between 60 to 80 per cent of their population addicted to OxyContin, which deputy grand chief Mike Metatawabin said with so many people addicted, many of their communities are left in a standstill and it also puts a strain on frontline workers.
“We need to deal with this issue as soon as possible because it’s going to run out of control by early next month. This is something we’ve been working on and trying to prevent for quite some time now,” Metatawabin said, adding neither the federal or provincial government have answered their call for help since 2009.
“Because nobody responded to our call for assistance and help in dealing with the issue, our communities are not facing a scenario where there is going to be some very serious situations, not just withdrawals. Maybe violence, maybe suicidal tendencies by people that are going through withdrawals,” he said.
NAN issued a release late last week stating they require medical and nursing professionals, appropriate mental health services, aftercare programming and additional security and police resources to address the problem.
Metatawabin said they need to see a plan in place as soon as possible with input not only from NAN but from both provincial and federal governments.
St. Joseph’s Care Group’s director of concurrent disorder services Nancy Black said they also are most concerned with what effect the changeover in oxycodone formulas will have on rural and remote communities because of their lack of withdrawal supports.
SJCG operates the Lakeview methadone clinic and Black said it is running at capacity. And with the potential for more people to not have access to opiates, the demand for treatment is going to increase.
“It’s a complex issue and requires a multi-faceted approach in terms of addressing the issues and concerns,” she said. “It’s not an easy solution.”
The Thunder Bay Police Service will monitor the situation as it unfolds and Const. Julie Tilbury said it’s not a situation they can necessarily prepare for.
“There are so many different factors dealing with the legal use of OxyContin and the illegal drug issues that we do have in our community,” she said. “We’ll have to see how both sides of that are affected by this changeover and what the ramifications will be for the different groups.”
Tilbury said the police are speaking with different agencies to gather as much information as they can and will try to come up with a plan to deal with the issues as they arise.
“Our concerns are that we know people with addiction issues can become desperate and maybe creative and they are going to find alternative drugs to use if the Oxys are not available,” she said.
“Our concern here is depending on what type of alternative they go to, what the health concerns will be there for them.”
Hajdu added all they can do right now is increase the amount of conversation in the community on alternatives to the way they currently deal with substance use, particularly with a focus on education and awareness.
If opiate users begin to turn to street drugs like heroin, because it’s not constructed in a lab, people don’t know the exact amount they are consuming.
Hajdu said more education needs to be done around overdosing, mainly how to recognize an overdose.
