Drug Topics - November 19, 2007 - (Page 14)

14 DRUG TOPICS NOVEMBER 19, 2007 www.drugtopics.com Cover Story Merrill Norton, clinical assistant of It’s estimated that up to 90% professor the pharmacy at University of Georgia of recovering pharmacists are College of Pharmaable to return to work. cy, family histories of depression, suicide, or substance abuse are also important risk factors. As researchers develop a greater understanding of the medical basis of substance abuse, more medications are being used to help patients kick the habit. Some patients now receive selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to help stabilize the brain’s chemistry, especially during the detoxification period. Sleep medications are also frequently used. “It may take up to five to seven years for the brain to stabilize without any medications,” explained Norton. Just as important, he added, the use of psychiatric medications to stabilize chemical or mood imbalances has dramatically lowered the chance of relapse. Studies sponsored by NIDA also indicate a link between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. While the stress of working as a pharmacist falls far short in most cases of PTSD, some experts worry that on-the-job stress represents another risk factor. “We have a high-stress profession,” insisted Norton. “Stress leads to two things: mental illness and substance abuse.” DT CAPSULE Turning a stigma into a blessing Despite the growing body of evidence of the medical basis of drug dependency, attitudes about the disease are Are you at risk? A ccording to Merrill Norton, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, more than 90% of people who develop a substance abuse problem have at least one of the following genetic risk factors: • Family history of addiction (chemical, sexual, food, or other compulsive pathological addiction) • Family history of mental illness • Family history of suicide In addition, Norton argues, there is evidence that other factors also play a role in developing an addiction problem. These personal and environmental factors include: • Personal history of trauma (violent, emotional, or environmental) • Stress • Obsessive-compulsive traits • Need to be perfect • Need to be in control more resistant to change. “We still live in a world where addiction is a stigmatized disease,” explained Anthony Tommasello, pharmacist, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Office of Substance Abuse Studies at the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. Given the social stigma that is still attached to substance abuse, it is hardly surprising that recovering pharmacists are hesitant to talk openly about their experiences. For Michael D. Quigley, R.Ph., executive director, Pharmacists Rehabilitation Organization of Ohio, however, his addiction and recovery was ultimately “a blessing” that he now uses to help other pharmacists understand that they are not alone. Nineteen years ago, Quigley recognized that he had a problem but didn’t know what to do. “I knew I was going to get caught, but I had no idea about how alcoholism or addiction worked,” he said. “I had tried lots of times on my own to quit and was probably more miserable then than when I was using. I did not realize that Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous could save my life.” For years it was a burden he carried alone. Ultimately, the final push came from outside. An inspection of the pharmacy Quigley co-owned revealed irregularities. He had been diverting Percocet (oxycodone HCl/ acetaminophen, Endo Labs) for his own use. He immediately entered a 90-day treatment facility, but it would be seven more years before he would again work in a pharmacy. In the end, he lost the pharmacy he co-owned, spent four months in jail, had his license revoked, and was divorced. Rehab was only the beginning. “I still had headaches, just felt bad for months,” Quigley remembered. “It probably took over a year for my sleep patterns to come back; it was a process of my nerves regenerating and body adjusting to not having the drugs in there.” Returning to work as a pharmacist proved equally challenging. Quigley applied for a new license four times before the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy finally relented. “It was kind of a crusade,” he remarked. “I had to show them the kind of person I had become. By that time I had suffered enough consequences.” Even with his license, he still admitted to feeling apprehensive about going back to work in a pharmacy. “Fortunately, I had a great employer who gave me training and did not stick me in there alone. I look at the experience as a growth process. I believe it all happened for a reason and formed me into the person I am today. As a result of this, I raised my kids by myself for 15 years—what a blessing that was. All of these things helped shape what has turned out to be a truly wonderful life.” Contracting for recovery Quigley’s experience is not unique. Both PRN and pharmacy board officials report that the vast majority of R.Ph.s http://www.drugtopics.com

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Drug Topics - November 19, 2007 Contents Latebreakers Letters Leukemia Patients Now Have More Options First-in-Class HIV Drug Boon to Patients at End of Tether 150 Years of American Pharmacy Pharmacy Schools Confront New Pressures From Pariah to Patient ACCP Releases Position Paper on Ethical Interactions New Injectable Antibiotic Welcomed with Open Arms NCCN Updates Head and Neck Cancer Guide Improved Phosphate Binder Approved for Dialysis Patients Considering Combination Concern Ensuring Seamless Care Bill Would Create Center for Comparative Effectiveness Hospital Improves Patient Safety with Automatic Drug Distribution System Infection Rates, Patient Stays Drop with New Drug Device How R.Ph.s Helped Three Hospitals Win Quality and Safety Awards A Pharmacist and Dog in Tow are Alzheimer’s Patients’ Best Friends More PBMs Agreeing to Pricing Transparency New Insulins in the Management of Diabetes New Products Advertisers Index Classified VIEWPOINT: Reflections on Pharmacy School After 30 Years

Drug Topics - November 19, 2007

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