Accidental Addicts: Overview : SBS Insight

Overview

This week we meet the everyday people who have become unwitting addicts.

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Prescriptions for some pain-killers and anti-anxiety medications have jumped over the past decade, particularly for the drugs Oxycontin and Xanax.

The medications are very effective. Scores of people use them successfully to alleviate excruciating pain after a car accident, or to dampen crippling feelings of anxiety and panic.

But more and more patients are finding themselves addicted to these drugs, even when they follow the doctor's instructions to the letter.

Where does the blame lie? Are the drugs simply too powerful for patients to administer themselves? Are doctors over prescribing? Are patients at fault for putting too much pressure on GPs to write them a script so they can walk away with a pill that will fix things?

Or is there too much complexity and too little coordination in our health system which means patients are falling through the cracks?

The Federal Government has committed $5 million to set up so-called 'real-time monitoring' which could address some flaws in the current system, such as the ability of patients to "doctor shop" to obtain addictive medications. But there's confusion amongst the medicos and the various state governments as to when the system will actually be rolled out.

This week, accidental addicts bravely take to the stage to tell their stories in front of a room full of doctors and pain experts.

Producer: Sarah Bamford
Associate Producers: Hannah Meagher and Kyle Taylor

Meet the Guests

Peter Panagiatopoulos

Peter Panagiatopoulos lives with chronic pain after an accident at work in 2008 where he was crushed by 100kg of reinforced steel. He was prescribed opioids (a category of pain killers) for his spinal and internal injuries but soon developed an addiction to the painkillers. A father of two, he says that his addiction made him a walking nightmare.

Jana Kohout

Jana Kohout is a 49 year old mother of three and is addicted to anxiety medication. Jana was first diagnosed with severe anxiety and prescribed Xanax in the late 90s. She became addicted and has spent the last decade trying to wean herself off the medication. She says the withdrawals are horrendous and at times she’s been unable to work or drive. Jana says it will be years until she is able to live without her addiction.

Margaret Millington

Margaret Millington's son Simon died in 2010 after a 16 year battle with prescription addiction. She says Simon's dependency problems started when he needed strong painkillers after a car accident that left him with life-threatening injuries. Margaret and her family believe if it wasn't for the accident and the painkillers he was prescribed, Simon would still be here today.

Nick Carr

Dr Nick Carr says doctors are to blame for many instances of patients becoming addicted to prescription medication. Nick is a GP with an unconventional rule: to never prescribe highly-addictive anti-anxiety or painkiller medications like to new patients.

Simon Holliday

Dr Simon Holliday is a GP in regional Australia who works with addiction patients. Simon recdently conducted a survey of over 400 GPs about prescribing for pain. He says the results suggested most doctors weren’t following recommended guidelines when prescribing painkillers, which he thinks could be leading to unwitting addiction.

Margaret Harding

Margaret is a Magistrate from Victoria who presided over the Victorian Drug Court for more than 10 years. She says that of all the relapses that occurred in violation of court orders, the most frequent drug involved was Xanax - more than heroin, alcohol and methamphetamines. Margaret wants to see Xanax reclassified to make it subject to tighter regulations.