6. I took a few methadone from my grandpa. They were 10 milligrams. What youre 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 about thousand thats a very lethal kbicombination. I have a lot of friends who died during their sleep and i wasnt really sleeping. 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 . Id be very frightened about that young man not making it through the night. Dr. Bill hurley is the medical director of poison center, also a trauma doctor. Possibly too many meds. Thai not sure what they have. Were 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. For hurley, it started five years ago. He started noticing overdoses, a lot of them, coming through his e. R. Doors. We thought, these are the guys on the street, maybe using heroin. But looking deeper, he realized they werent junkingies, not at all. It usually began with a back sprain. They were taking these medications not to get high but to try to control pain. In most cases back pain. And then they were mixing them with other medications and having fatal reactions to that. A lot of people have back pain, a lot of people take pain medications noor pain. And what youre saying is a lot of those people are 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 milliliters instead of 5. To see the problem firsthand, i rode along with lieutenant craig aimen. Hes been on the job for 30 years. He will tell you, when he tykes an overdose call, the usual suspect is a painkiller. What sort of impact have you seen here in seattle . I think if you pull a group of people together from this community, someone in that group would have a friend, loved one who has either had difficulty with a prescriptioning drug or potentially died from that. Aimens 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 whos overdosed on 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. 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 there is a call about someone having a Drug Overdose. The overdos victiming came to and walked away. While were there, another call and its just been a few minutes. Weve got a 52yearold male. He took approximately three da laud id, plus methadone three hours ago. I decided to ride along with lieutenant john fisking whos headed to the scene. Sounds like he has decreased level of consciousness and some respiratory compromise. It 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 painkill painkillers. 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. Jens car wasnt handling well. So i brought it to mike at meineke. We gave her car a free road handling check. I like free. Free is good. My money. My choice. My meineke. 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 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 day 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 you. And ben told stuart that he and his new girlfriend 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 theyve 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. Just experimenting, the reason why the line between experimenting and overdose is tenuous. They are Central Nervous system, or cns, depressants. They slow down the bodys vital functions, breathing, heart rate you blood pressure. Thats not usually a problem when the pills are not 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. 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. It 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 preventible 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 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. 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. 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 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. His father finds some solace from his sons death by funding programs that ed kate people about the dangers of misusing prescription drugs. And recently he made a 1 million pledge to the clinton p Global Initiative to support the former president s newfound passion about this issue. He said, i have been very fortunate, and my son was 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, 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. [ fishing rod casting line, marching band playing ] [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat . Campbells healthy request soup lets you hear it. In your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. Great taste. Mmm. [ male announcer ] sounds good. Its amazing what soup can do. Part of a whole new line of tablets from dell. Its changing the conversation. It looks like he downed the 200s. In cities across the country, this scene plays out every day. I saw it myself on a ridealong with lieutenant john fisk of the seattle fire department. Three dilaudid, 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 combination, highdose painkillers stacked on other painkillers. Painkillers stacked with antianxiety medications. Or painkillers mixed with alcohol. We have 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 painkiller, 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, and 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 i took more than i was prescribed. Did you think about the safety at all . Its 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 . 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 with 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. They are 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 initially intended to treat end of life and cancer pain, 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 did you start taking opiates . Dr. Jane ballantine is an an anesthesiologist at the university of washington. You had very good physical therapists. Ten years ago, while treating patients on highdose painkillers, she found something surprising. Not only were those patients not getting pain relief but the painkillers were, in fact, doing something that could best be described as the opposite, making patients more sensitive to pain. Its called hyperalgesia. So more pain medications ultimately meant more pain. And that, of course, means, well, even more pain medications. Its easy to see the problem. The hyperalgesia was so obvious in those patients that you could, for example, see that they couldnt bear the sheet on them. Or any intravenous stick was abnormally painful to them. You said that this has essentially been 20 years of failed experiment and that not many people are sort of supporting this anymore except for the diehards and the pharmaceutical industry. I would never suggest that we shouldnt continue to prescribe for those that are really helped by opiates, people who have a real need, but the way we do at the moment is actually harming more patients than it helps. Its the mcdonalds phenomenon. You can go to the Emergency Department and get your pain relived immediately. Announcing the allnew 2013 malibu from chevrolet. With a remarkable new interior featuring the available chevrolet mylink infotainment system. This is where sophisticated styling begins. And where it ends . Thats up to you. Its here the greatest malibu ever. Lets say you want to get ahead how do you get from here. To here . At university of phoenix were moving Career Planning forward so you can start figuring that out sooner. Ln fact, by thinking about where want your education to lead, while youre still in school, you might find the best route. Leads somewhere you werent even looking. Lets get to work. So i brought it to mike at meineke. We gave her car a free road handling check. I like free. Free is good. My money. My choice. My meineke. Former president bill clintons familiarity with painkillers goes took when he lived in the white house. Have you ev