Transcripts For ALJAZAM Fault Lines 20150919

Number of elderly americans are dying after taking too many narcotics. When you remember her, how do you think about her . Do you think about her as the woman you married . I think about the woman i married and the fun we had. And i also am caused to pause about the times that werent so great. And i try to put those in the far corners of my mind. When she was on all the painkillers . Yep. The far corners of my mind. She was between the ottoman and the floor. I couldnt see her face. So i rolled her over. And her pills were . Her pills were on top of the ottoman. I grabbed the telephone. I started doing cardiac massage, called 911. And from there its history. This is horrible. On the day before thanksgiving in 2009, roy bosley came home to find his wife of 38 years, collapsed on the floor of their den. She basically stopped breathing. Carol was dead. It wasnt the first time roy found her passed out. This is the back door of the house, and she is unconscious, laying over the shoe thing. So you come home and you find her that way . Yeah. So this is different than being asleep . Shes not asleep. She is out. You have to shake her and shake her and shake her to get her to wake up. Would you consider this a normal sleeping position . Same thing here, same thing here, shes totally out. No idea whats going on. She had been eating oatmeal and she went out while she was consuming the oatmeal and you can see that its coming out of her mouth. Its a miracle that she didnt choke to death. You can see that she was watching television and she was using the Remote Control and passed out. Roy said he took the pictures to prove to carol and her doctor that she was overdosing again and again. Shed started taking painkillers after she was injured in a bad car accident and had several spinal surgeries. In 2008, she went to lifetree, a pain clinic in salt lake city, utah, and was prescribed 7 different drugs, including painkillers and antidepressants. The two big ones that stand out are the oxycodone and percocet. And you know that those are both opiates. So why is she on two . Were talking about 224 pills of oxycodone and were talking about 112 percocets. Over the next year, carols doses more than doubled. By the time she died, she was taking 600 pills a month. That in itself is quite a message. Totally completely out of control. And she didnt overdose because she was depressed or anything like that. She overdosed simply because she would take the medication and there was enough of it that it would make her confused and she would take more. So what was carol like when she was on all this medication . She was withdrawn. She didnt leave this room much at all. She spent much of her time in pajamas. Didnt leave the house for anything. After repeated trips to the er for taking too many pills, carols family finally convinced her to get treatment for addiction. And two weeks into that program, she was managing her pain on tylenol. Nothing else. And she was happy. That was the neat thing. She was happy. She was in control of her life. But that didnt last long. Soon they were back at lifetree, meeting with her pain doctor. We were ushered into a room, and he informed me that a chronic pain sufferer could not be an addict. This was dr. Webster. Yes. Then he told me that he was her physician. And that he would prescribe what he felt was appropriate. Period. And from there, it went downhill, the result of which is she died. Im not gonna respond to any of my former patients. There would be a hipaa violation, and i think it would be unethical for me to talk about it. And its always tragic when somebody dies under our care. I think if people overtake their medication they can get foggy, and then they can keep taking more medicine. Thats a risk. And and it can end in death, when that happens. Ideally. Whos responsible for that . The patient themselves has to be sure that they dont take more than whats instructed. Would you prescribe someone opioids if they come out of recovery for drug addiction . Specifically being addicted to opioids . I would have to evaluate it. It would depend upon it would depend upon the situation. Roy bosley sued dr. Webster for medical malpractice. They reached a settlement out of court. A couple of years ago, dr. Webster told a newspaper that as many as 20 of his former patients died of opioid overdoses. He sold his pain clinic in 2010, and no longer sees patients. Should have stopped him then. Should have stopped him. Its been so hard to deal with because i literally regret every day that i didnt do something different. Every year, at least 16,000 americans die after overdosing on opioid painkillers. More than cocaine and heroin combined. And as the country ages, the face of the typical addict is changing. But there are just a few Rehab Centers in the country that focus on treating elderly patients addicted to painkillers. We travelled to florida to visit one of them. I think many people think of the opioid problem as something thats affecting young people who are abusing painkillers that were not prescribed to them. We see the highest rate of Drug Overdose death in older americans. And when you look at the groups that have had the greatest increase in problems associated with prescription opioids, for example, visits to hospital Emergency Rooms because of opioid misuse, its americans over 65 that have had the largest increase. Hey, larry. Hi larry. Thanks for meeting me. Larry moore came here six years ago to treat his addiction to prescription painkillers. This place has good memories for me. I was able to start my road to recovery, and what i think is a better life. It was his family that pushed him to get help. Staging an intervention. His wife of 40 years even threatened to leave him. My detox room right here. Very first night. I came in here. They checked my luggage and made sure that i wasnt sneaking in anything. Larry had been painkillers for ten years for back pain mostly oxycontin and hydrocodone. He calls himself an accidental addict. It was taking exactly what the doctor prescribed, when the doctor prescribed, how the doctor prescribed. But his family hated the medications side effects anger, volatility and depression. How many grandchildren do you have . Three. I have two grandsons and a granddaughter. Before the drugs i could reason with anyone. On the drugs, no i would confront you in a heartbeat and didnt care you know of the outcome and i would treat my family to the point that, you know, i learned that that my grandchildren were afraid to be around me, uh, which to this day breaks my heart. Took away years of time that i could have spent with them and really been happy, because of drugs trying to ease my pain. Uh, uh, no. Thats horrid. Who should have stopped that process, who should have said, its gone too far . The doctors. I did not know that there was, that maybe there are alternatives to it. I was just doing what the doctors told me to do. Were gonna feed the turtles. Watch em. The painkillers made larry so foggy that he says he was misdiagnosed with early onset alzheimers disease. His pain hasnt gone away, but hes learned to live with it. So this is peaceful . Oh yeah. Lord, yeah. This is the things that you cant really enjoy when youre on drugs. Everything is hazed over its just nothing. You go from having a veil over your eyes to this, to sun beating down and breeze on your face and all of this nature, and everything being alive from where you were which was down in a deep, deep hole. As more and more seniors get addicted to prescription painkillers, the question is whos responsible . Here in california, two counties are suing the major opioid drug manufacturers. They say they waged a campaign of deception, and it specifically targeted vulnerable groups like the elderly. The lawsuit says Drug Companies overstated the benefits of opioid drugs and downplayed the risks. Especially when it comes to treating chronic pain like migraines, back pain and joint pain. Hi im libby. Hi im danny. Paragraph nine alleges that it was defendants marketing and not any medical breakthrough that rationalized prescribing opioids for chronic pain, and opened the floodgates of opioid use and abuse. The result has been catastrophic. Before the 1990s, opioids were rarely prescribed except for acute pain and for palliative care, for the treatment of, like, cancer pain. In in order to change that culture the complaint explains how the Drug Companies implemented a decadeslong scheme to alter the prescribing habits of doctors, as well as the drug use of patients who suffer from chronic pain. The counties say the Companies Made record profits by creating a market for opioids among a Massive Group of chronic pain sufferers. A market they argue never should have existed. They claim the elderly in particular were targeted because theyre more likely to suffer from chronic pain, and theyre wellinsured. According to the plaintiffs, the efforts paid off. Since 2007, opioid prescriptions for the elderly have grown at twice the rate as those for middleaged adults. But the lawsuit says in the process older patients were misled about the risks of taking opioids. This is an example of the marketing the Companies Engaged in thats mentioned in the lawsuit. Thats right. This is one of the publications cited in our lawsuit. It lists opioid medications and what some of the myths and facts are. One of the myths it lists is that the medications are always addictive. It says that thats not actually the case. Theyre rarely addictive. As explained in our lawsuit, thats one of the examples of the deceptive messages that Drug Companies disseminated about the risks and benefits of opioid use. And thats simply not borne out by the scientific evidence. And and in fact, youre seeing increases in the rates of addiction among the elderly. None of the five opioid drug manufacturers would speak to us on camera, and only one of them responded to our questions. In a statement, Janssen Pharmaceuticals said the allegations in the lawsuits are both legally and factually unfounded. On august 27th, a judge put the case on hold until the food and Drug Administration completes a study about the safety and efficacy of opioid drugs. Another major claim by the counties is that the Drug Companies had help in changing popular opinion about opioids, from Key Opinion Leaders, prominent and influential pain doctors. They simply didnt just hire these individuals to talk about the drugs, they actually influenced, worked with, and used them to spread their deceptive messages about the risk and benefits of these drugs for the treatment of chronic pain. And how did they allegedly do that . The lawsuit explains in detail about the various ways that they worked with these individuals, including sponsorship, money, as well as editing and control oftentimes over their messaging. Can you name some of these Key Opinion Leaders that are listed in the lawsuit . One of them is dr. Lynn webster. Well id like to see the evidence. Ive looked at their document. I dont see anything in their document that says that i was promoting the use of opioids. The california lawsuit claims that you were the author of numerous Education Programs sponsored by the Drug Companies that contained virtually all of the defendants misrepresentations that are described in the lawsuit. And at the same time, you were receiving Significant Funding from the Drug Companies. You have a question . Is that a conflict of interest . No. I was never receiving Significant Fund i dont know what significant is. You tell me what significant is. Well, how much were you receiving . And i wouldnt be receiving it from the pharmaceutical companies. I would be i would be paid for an educationalum, lecture, by an educational group. So, an independent group that gets money from the pharmaceutical companies will contract with you to give a lecture . Usually in in edu educational forums, yes. That are cme continuing med medical education. They have to be certified programs that are not um theyre not biased. Theyre academically based. But theyre paid for by the pharmaceutical companies . Well, you get grants. Yeah. I mean, y they get grants, yes, thats true. You understand the appearance of i understand. Going to a lecture by someone whos essentially getting money from the Pharmaceutical Company talking about heres how you manage pain. Heres one of the tools opioids. Opioids is a tool. They opioids are a tool for the treatment of chronic pain. Theres nothing wrong with using opioids appropriately, for people in chronic pain. But a government Study Released last year concluded that theres little evidence that using opioids longterm is effective for treating chronic pain. When you talk about putting somebody on a highly addictive drug, on a drug thats essentially a heroin pill, and theyre taking it on a daily basis, just about anybody can wind up getting addicted to it. So what we should be teaching prescribers is that opioids are lousy drugs for most patients with chronic pain. You know my name, lynn webster. Im the past president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. The california lawsuit alleges that the cooperation went beyond Key Opinion Leaders. And that organizations like the one dr. Webster once led the American Academy of Pain Medicine also received a lot of money from opioid manufacturers. The academys foundation lists a main sponsor as purdue pharma, the maker of oxycontin. If you are a caregiver, or even if youre a patient taking pain meds, opioids, you need to know what the signs of an overdose are. Dr. Websters research now focuses on developing alternatives to opioids pain medication that he says wont be addictive. In the meantime, he argues that opioids should be prescribed, despite the risks. We can abandon the treatment of people in pain. I think that would be inhumane. I think that would have to be beyond cruel, to not try to treat their pain. But in order to eliminate all addiction from opioids would require we prohibit the use of opioids. And if we did that, there would be an incalculable amount of suffering. Inside story takes you beyond the headlines, beyond the quick cuts, beyond the soundbites. Were giving you a deeper dive into the stories that are making our world what it is. I need to get that pill in me because ive been several hours without it during the night, you know. Thats my percocet, and my oxycodone and vitamin d, and this is an oxycontin 10 they suggest i take in the night. Shirley sharr is 86 years old and she takes a high dose of opioids every day, to deal with pain that began after she had Knee Replacement surgery 13 years ago. Her morning dose is the most important. Nighttime is the longest she goes without taking the medication. And then i take this with me when we leave to go on an errand or something. This is always in my purse. I cannot ever forget that or id be in trouble. Shirleys daughter, cari, sets an alarm to remind her mother to take the next dose, in three and a half hours. Over the years, shirleys doctors steadily increased her dosage because she was developing a tolerance to the medication. It wasnt as effective. Does it still manage your pain . Does it help . No. Well it does. But im still always in pain. Im never out of pain. I wanted to ask you about some of the side effects of the painkillers that youre on. Shortness of breath to the degree that it can actually cause respiratory problems or respiratory failure. Im concerned about that because i feel like i dont breathe as well. It makes me lightheaded, you know, when im overdosed. So another side effect is slowing your heart rate down . When i take too much, i feel that. I feel like im not getting enough air. It sounds like you have to make a calculation every time you take your painkillers about how much it will help you and how hard it will be on you . Oh, i do. Mmhmm. I do. That leg is constantly swollen. And thats because im holding water, you know . I cant seem to dump it. Is water retention from the pills . Yup. Even though shes been taking opioids for years, shirley says her pain is getting worse. So im going to take this pill. Will you set my clock . Wheres my clock . So its just been two and a half hours. Sometimes i take it early when its this bad. When she doesnt want to take any more medication, shirley has a different way of dealing with her pain, which she read about on the internet. Its called tapping. In the middle of the night, its my savior. I just can tap the pain down to where i can go back to bed. And there are several places that you tap on your body, and i do it three times and within three or four minutes the pain is diminished. I have pain in my knees but i do love and respect myself. I have pain in my knees but i do love and respect myself. I have pain in my knees but i do love and respect myself. I have pain in my knees but i do love and respect myself. I have pain in my knees but i do love and respect myself. I have pain in my knees but i do love and respect myself. And the pain, i would say half the pain is gone. And i only do it when its really bad so that helps but its incredible. How does it work compared to painkillers . Well, its just as good as the painkiller i think. Have you ever thought about reducing your painkiller dosage or going off of it and instead using tapping and using other methods to try to control the pain . No. But the tapping doesnt have any of these side effects like constipation and shortness of breath, and a lowered heart rate. Thats true. Thats true. Its just i dont know if id have the courage to stop it. I love sewing and that really takes my mind off my pain. So i take as little as i can to get by. I dont like it, but it sure solves my problem with pain. I wish theyd come up with Something Else that would be more helpful that isnt so addicting. And i guess im addicted. I dont know. Ive done this for several years. While doctors and patients debate the best ways to deal with chronic pain, millions of Senior Citizens continue to fill new prescriptions for narcotics. A growing number of them suffering devastating consequences, leaving families struggling to make sense of deaths they believe could have been prevented. There isnt a day goes by that i dont think about her. I miss her so much. The memories of what i saw, what i found that day. Theyre hard to get rid of. I cant get rid of them. I dont think i ever will. And so i have to learn to live with those. I have to learn to put those aside and focus on the things that are pleasant and happy. Because thats how we get through life. Farm workers striking in mexico. All that tension is about whats happening right now. Unlivable wages. You can work very hard and you will remain poor. Whats the cost of harvesting americas food . Do you see how it will be hard to get by on their salary . Yeah fault lines, Al Jazeera Americas hard hitting. Today they will be arrested. Ground breaking. Theyre firing canisters of gas at us. Emmy Award Winning investigative series. Fault lines invisible hands only on Al Jazeera America tonight 14 years since 9 11, after two wars n. S. A. Spying and aggressive surveillance on american muslims, is the u. S. Powerless to stop the next attack, later in the panel an imaged of a drowned syrian toddler moved millions, should heartbreaking pictures dictate a nation adds policy on taking in refugees. Plus to the border to join i. S. I. L. , and turning back at the last minute. Should he be gaoled for 30 years