Right now. And over the next hour, three people will die. He went to sleep, and he had no idea this was going to be his last night on earth. From misusing perfectly legal Prescription Drugs. Taking a deadly dose. Im a little concerned that may have taken something that wasnt good for me on accident. I took a few methadone from my grandpa. They were 10 milligrams. What you are listening to are actual calls. How is he acting . At the Washington Poison Center in seattle. Just drowsy . Okay. And lately, more and more of them sound Something Like this. And today, i took about 90 milligrams of percocet. Oh, you did . 6 00, i wasnt really thinking and i did a bar of xanax and im reading all this stuff online how that is a very lethal combination. I have a lot of friends who died in their sleep and i just wasnt really thinking. Now im wondering if i should stay up tonight. That kind of call to me is really scary. Oh, it is scary. What goes through your mind . So, i would be very frightened about that young man not making through the night. Dr. Bill hurley is the medical director of the poison center. He is also a trauma doctor. Possibly too many of his meds. They are not sure what all theyve got. We are here in seattle, in part, because the problem is bad. This bottle still has quite a bit in it. But also because, as you will see, there are real solutions. No other meds . For hurley it started five years ago. Hes got pinpoint pupils. He started noticing overdoses, a lot of them, coming through his e. R. Doors. We thought, well, these are the guys who are on the street, maybe using heroin. But looking deeper, he realized they werent junkies, not at all. It usually began with a back sprain. They were taking these medications no to the get high but try to control pain in most cases, back pain and then they were mixing them with other medication and having fatal reactions to that. A lot of people have back pain. A lot of people take pain medications for that pain. And what youre saying a lot of those people are then dying . Yeah. A lot of them are dying and a lot of people in our culture right now are at risk of dying from the exact same thing. I wanted to know more. So they allowed me to listen in. Poison center. May i help you . Yeah, my wife took hydromet and when we checked it later, she had taken 30 millimeters instead of five. To see the problem firsthand, i rode along with lieutenant craig aman. He has been on the job for 30 years. He will tell you, when he takes an overdose call the usual suspect is a painkiller. What sort of impact have you seen here in seattle . Well, i think if you pull a group of people together from this community, someone in that group is going to have had a friend, a loved one that has either had difficulty with a Prescription Drug or potentially died from that. Amans unit responds to 45 calls a month about overdoses involving these types of medications. And this is important it can be difficult to tell whether its a painkiller or heroin because they come from the same ingredient and do the same sort of thing to your body. Aside from needle tracks in the arms, someone who has had an overdose of pain medication like that or heroin, they could look very much the same . Absolutely. They could be unconscious from a medication that they think is relatively safe for them because instead of getting it on the street, they get it from a pharmacist. 36, code green. Possible Drug Overdose. These people are suffering from chronic pain. They know that a little bit of pain medication helps so maybe a lot would help a lot more. When we arrive, another medic is on the scene. Somewhere in that parking garage theres a call about someone having a Drug Overdose. The overdose victim came to and walked away, but while were there, another call. And its been just a few minutes. Weve got a 52yearold. He took approximately three dilaudid plus methadone. I decided to ride along with lieutenant john fisk, who is headed to the scene. Sounds like he has decreased consciousness and respiratory compromise. Sounds like a narcotic overdose. Car crashes are no longer the number one reason people die accidentally in the United States. Nowadays, its actually Prescription Drugs. Thats because on any given day people take more than the recommended dose, mix and match, or take medications not prescribed to them, maybe take pills with alcohol. And all of it can make for a deadly dose. In fact, the most recent data shows 37,000 Drug Overdose deaths in one year, mostly accidental. About 21,000 involve Prescription Drugs. And of those, 75 were pain killers. By the end of this hour, i promise you your idea of a potential overdose victim will change. To this. This could be you. It could be me. And thats the point. It could be anyone. He was big, strong, handsome, smart. Wanted to make something of his life. He had no idea that he was turning out the lights. None. And if its true of him, its got to be true of a lot of other people. Why not make lunch more than just lunch . With two times the points on dining in restaurants, you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. Chase sapphire preferred. Theres more to enjoy. Im going to dream about that steak. Im going to dream about that tiramisu. What a night, huh . But, um, can the test drive be over now . Head back to the dealership . [ male announcer ] its practically yours. But we still need your signature. Volkswagen sign then drive is back. And its never been easier to get a passat. Thats the power of german engineering. Get 0 down, 0 due at signing, 0 deposit, and 0 first months payment on any new volkswagen. Visit vwdealer. Com today. On december 19, 2011, benjamin gupta, a law and mba student at George Washington university, died suddenly. Mysteriously. Hes no relationship to me, but when his family got word, they spent hours trading phone calls. They were in stunned disbelief. There was a message from his mom, and she had left three messages for me so i knew there was something wrong. I received a call from my mom. I didnt answer, but then i got a text message from her, which is very unusual. And i called her back. And i said, what happened . And she says, its ben. He died. I just i didnt have any of the information. I finally said, how did this happen . And she said he went to sleep the night before and he just never woke up. Hes always smiling, every picture hes smiling. For days, ben guptas family was desperate for answers. What killed him . He was only 28 years old. He had recently been given a clean bill of health. How could he just not wake up . And then the thought went through my mind that maybe it was some sort of a brain aneurism or something must have happened. But his father was in for a shock after a conversation with the doctor who performed bens autopsy. And he called me and said, yes, you know, they found oxycodone in his system. He tells you he believes that your son died of an overdose of narcotics. Yeah. Right. What do you think at that point . I was just shocked at that time. Did you think it was possible, what you knew of your son . No. No. He worked for the state department, and he, you know, was going to graduate in a year with a dual law and mba degrees, you know, the type of person where it just doesnt even run through your head that hes having a problem because hes doing so well. Stuart bridge was a close friend of bens. They met in grammar school. He recalled a conversation that would later prove to be very important. He had met somebody new, and he really liked this new girl that he was dating. And ben told stuart that he and his new girlfriend had tried oxycodone and they thought it was no big deal. You know, im not doing it regularly. Its not something im seeking out, but its something that ive tried. Now, anyone else might just shrug off that conversation, but bridge wasnt just a friend. Hes also a doctor. And he warned ben about taking oxycodone and about mixing it with alcohol. Ive seen people die on these medications or experimenting with these medications. From just experimenting. The reason, the line between experimenting and overdose is tenuous. These drugs are Central Nervous system, or cns, depressants. They slow down the bodys vital functions, breathing, heart rate blood pressure. Thats not usually a problem when the pills are prescribed for you. But when you add them to other cns depressants like alcohol or other Prescription Drugs, the effect is multiplied. The nervous system slows and slows until breathing, heart rate, brain function all grind to a halt. Bens deadly dose, according to his girlfriend, was drinking beer and scotch throughout the day along with an unknown quantity of oxycodone. When his blood alcohol level was tested, it registered 0. 04. Thats relatively low, less than half the legal limit. Heres the implication it may not take much alcohol to tip the balance toward death. Ben fell asleep in front of the tv, and, by the next morning, he had stopped breathing. Its almost what makes it even more frightening, that he went to sleep and he had no idea this was going to be his last night on earth. I mean, he had no idea that this was going to be it. It just seems so preventable and so stupid. It just didnt have to happen like this. It didnt have to be, you know, like that. You explained what happened to my friend to me in two sentences. If people get something that simple, that direct, then it almost doesnt matter how boozedup they get before they pop the pill. Theyll remember that. How are you . I first learned about ben guptas story when i got a phone call just after his death from former president bill clinton. Bens father vinod is an old friend of the clintons. Over the years, hes donated thousands of dollars to theirs and other democratic campaigns. And over time the families became close friends. Ben, a beautiful man with a beautiful life. Some people live four times as long and dont do as much good or bring as much joy. Why did you decide to call me . I called you in desperation. I wanted to know what to do. I just knew that somebody needed to do something, but thats why i called you. I thought you a, i knew youd care about it. And, b, i thought youd know something about it. I could tell in your voice that you were pretty broken up. What kind of kid was he . A light shined out of him. Thats all i can tell you. He grew up, he was big, strong, handsome, smart and wanted to make something of his life. He was industrious, but he was normal and liked to have a good time. I promise you that night he had no idea that he was turning out the lights. None. And if its true of him, its got to be true of a lot of other people. As soon as people hear that someone died of a Drug Overdose, they immediately have a perception of who that person was, what kind of life they led, their behaviors. Its not true in a lot of these people. No. Including ben. We all of us, the whole culture, we need to start thinking about this. This is crazy. Not a single, solitary one of these people has to die. President clinton said to me nobody thinks that taking an oxycontin and a few beers is a good idea, but you also dont think youre going to die. Yes. Do you think that was bens sort of state of mind . I know this is playing with fire a little bit, but im not going to die. I dont think that he knew that this could kill him. Vinod finds some solace from his sons death by funding programs that educate people about the dangers of misusing Prescription Drugs. And recently he made a 1 million pledge to the Clinton Global Initiative to support the former president s newfound passion about this issue. He said, i have been very fortunate, and my son is worth 1 million. Its still hard to talk about. It is. It is. Do you think it ever wont be . No. I think about him all the time. Like im in d. C. Today so i went walking on the gw campus looking for him. Looking for him. Yes. And i could feel him. I could feel him. Every day i just miss him. Every day. My girlfriend found me, dead already. I had been not breathing, no pulse, and i was turning blue. We use this board to compare Car Insurance rates side by side so you get the same coverage, often for less. Thats one smart board. What else does it do, reverse gravity . [ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ whooshing ] tell me about it. Why am i not going anywhere . You dont believe hard enough. A smarter way to shop around. Now thats progressive. Call or click today. 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I saw it myself on a ridealong with lieutenant john fisk of the seattle fire department. Person had three die laud id, two methadone. This patients dose, an antiseizure medication and a couple of powerful painkillers. He may have stockpiled some of his own and taken it afterwards. Its called stacking, prescription pills stacked on top of other pills, each one amplifying the previous ones effect. Id say it probably began about ten years ago. Dr. Steven anderson, an e. R. Doctor in Washington State, sees the end result of stacking virtually every time he goes to work. Ive taken two vicodin before, no problem. Ive taken a valium to sleep before. No problem. Ive had a couple of drinks before. No problem. But all of a sudden, you add all of those into the same scenario, and it adds up and causes the complications. Youre talking about, when you say stacking, sounds like it is making it exponentially worse. Exactly. Heres why. Pop a pain pill, and you get relief. At the same time, your breathing slows down. Even after the pain relief wears off, that slowed breathing persists, sometimes for hours. Now, if you pop another pain pill before its time, you depress the breathing even more. Some of the deadliest combinations, highdose painkillers stacked on other painkillers. Painkillers stacked with antianxiety medications. Or painkillers mixed with alcohol. Weve seen absolute skyrocketing of overdose deaths, and correlates directly with the number of prescriptions that are written. The problem, in part, is that here in the United States we are being flooded with painkillers. Consider this americans take 80 of the worlds painkillers. 80 . Distribution of morphine, the main ingredient in most popular painkillers, increased by 600 between 1997 and 2007. Pain couldnt have increased that much in ten years, but painkillers did. Its become a lucrative business, and with so many pills out there, theres no broad system in place for doctors and pharmacies to keep track of it all. And, again, every 19 minutes we see the consequence. And that doesnt even account for people like this man who came close, too close, to dying. Thankfully, he survived. And so did this man from virginia. My girlfriend found me, dead, not breathing, no pulse. His name is ben. He didnt want to give his last name. I took some. Now, listen closely. What he is describing is nearly dying after an overdose. I remember standing around feeling good, talking with someone and then thinking, i just need to sit down for a second. I was turning blue. I was gone in a minute. Id only had a few beers, and id also taken plenty of methadone at the same time. Methadone, which you may recognize as a treatment for heroin addicts, is also a popular painkiller prescribed by doctors. When he overdosed about four years ago, it was the first time ben had tried it. Do you remember the point when you started using Prescription Drugs . Well, originally, i had been prescribed them for an injury. I was on painkillers and muscle relaxers, and definitely even within that time there were probably a couple days when i took more than i was prescribed. Did you think about the safety at all . Its a classic statement, this isnt going to happen to me. Well, of course, everyone who it happens to said that at one point. And thats where the story of ben from virginia intersects with ben gupta, the law student, and thousands of other unwitting overdose victims, it wont happen to me. Its more realistic for someone like me who has a job to overdose because its amazing how little you need of a mix of alcohol and narcotics to overdose when your body is not used to it. How little are we talking about . I think it was maybe four or five beers and two or three shots, and that was it. A few beers, a couple of shots and some methadone. Exactly. He was at a party. He felt sleepy. And then he stopped breathing. Your girlfriend just happened to find you. Thankfully, yeah. If she hadnt found you . I wouldnt be here. Youd be dead. For sure. Definitely. I was dead when she found me. For ben, the story is going to sound familiar. It started with a prescription for shoulder pain. In fact, he, in part, fits the profile of an overdose victim. Typically, they are male. They are in their 40s and 50s. They started with a prescription. And three years later, they were dead. Between the time he got his pain prescription and then had his overdose, ben started to become dependent. Started out small, like, you know, vicodin and percocet, but then, of course, those dont work as well. You eventually some day try oxycontin. At your peak, how much were you taking . Eight to ten 80s in a day. And still functioning. Eight to ten 80s . Yeah. Theyre 10 to 15 times stronger than anything we used to have, and i dont think that people fully appreciate how strong those medicines are. And theyre longer and longer acting, and thats part of the problem, too. Another problem, these powerful painkillers were originally intended to treat end of life and cancer patients, but see, those patients didnt live very long so there wasnt longterm data on what they would do to ben or to me or, frankly, to most people who now take them. They are being prescribed for all sorts of chronic pain problems with no data to suggest high doses of powerful painkillers are either safe or effective over the long term. When