NEW
NEW TONIGHT ATTEND, RENA SARIGIANOPOULOS TELLS US ABOUT
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE OPIOID
EPIDEMIC.
EPIDEMIC.
EPIDEMIC. >> I HAVE A FEW INCURABLE
DISEASES.
DISEASES.
DISEASES. >> Reporter: TALKING TO KAMI HE
CAN ALMOST FEEL HER PAIN.
UNITED MYLES JACK, AND ACOSTA
NEUROLOGY, PASTOR CAN GUIDE US,
HAVE INOPERABLE SPINE DAMAGES
WELL IN ADDITION TO THAT A
HEART CONDITION AND EPILEPSY.
I'M NOT THE HEALTHIEST PERSON.
>> Reporter: IT WAS A COMPLEX
REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME SHE
DEVELOPED AFTER CARPAL TUNNEL
SURGERY IN 2013 THAT SENT HER
LIFE INTO A DOWNWARD SPIRAL.
SPEED AND LITTLE BY LITTLE
WITHOUT PROPER TREATMENT IT
SPREAD TO MY LEGS AND MY OTHER
ARM IN MY CHEST AND MY ABDOMEN.
IT'S IN MY FACE CAUSING NERVE
DAMAGE AND MY EYES TWITCH AND
DREW.
DREW.
DREW. >>
DREW. >> Reporter: KAMI HAS TRIED
EVERYTHING FROM HEATING PADS TO
EXPERIMENTAL TREATMENT SOME
WORK SOME IS TOO EXPENSIVE.
SHE FINDS RELIEF WITH OPIOIDS .
>> IT HELPS ME A LOT IT HELPS
ME SIT HERE.
IT HELPED ME DO MY HAIR TODAY
AND GET DRESSED AND PARTICIPATE
IN THIS INTERVIEW. WITHOUT THE
MEDICATION, WILL NOT BE ABLE TO
DO ANY OF THIS.
AT ALL.
AT ALL.
AT ALL. >> Reporter: ONE PROBLEM, HER
DRUGS ARE GETTING HARDER AND
HARDER TO OBTAIN.
CM I AM A STAGE IV CANCER
PATIENT.
PATIENT.
PATIENT. I AM PART OF CANCER SUPPORT
GROUPS.
GROUPS.
GROUPS. THIS IS HURTING PEOPLE I KNOW.
>> Reporter: CARA SCHULTZ IS A
BURNSVILLE CITY COUNCILMEMBER
PICK SHE HEARS ENDLESS STORIES
OF PEOPLE WHO RESPONSIBLY USE
OPIOIDS THAT ARE BEING CUT OFF
.
.
. >>
. >> I
. >> I DON'T THINK MANY PEOPLE
REALIZE THAT THE OPIOID CRUSADE
IS IMPACTING POPULATIONS THAT
ARE EXPERIMENTALLY, EXTREMELY
VULNERABLE.
VULNERABLE. CANCER PATIENTS, PEOPLE CHRONIC
PAIN, VETERANS THAT ARE INJURED
IN SERVICE OUR COUNTRY.
AND THE TWO WOMEN SAY DOCTORS
ARE AFRAID TO PRESCRIBE
MEDICATIONS FOR FEAR OF LOSING
THEIR LICENSES.
THEIR LICENSES. PHARMACIES ARE REFUSING TO FILL
PRESCRIPTIONS.
PRESCRIPTIONS. INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE FLAT
OUT DENYING PAYMENT.
NO ONE WANTS TO BE HELD
RESPONSIBLE .
RESPONSIBLE . >> ALL OF IT IS TRUE AND IT IS
HAPPENING UNIFORMLY ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> Reporter: DOCTOR WEBSTER IS
A PAIN RESEARCHER AND PHYSICIAN
AND HIS FOCUS IS ON FINDING
MORE AND SAFER EFFECTIVE
THERAPIES FOR CHRONIC PAIN.
HE ALSO DEVELOPED THE OPIOID
RISK TOOL TO HELP REDUCE
OVERDOSE DEATHS.
OVERDOSE DEATHS. >> MOST OF US WERE NEVER
PRESCRIBED AN OPIOID.
UNFORTUNATELY THERE ARE FEW
OPTIONS FOR SOME PAIN
CONDITIONS.'S
CONDITIONS.'S >> Reporter: WHAT HAPPENED ? IN
2016 THE CDC PUT OUT GUIDELINES
FOR PRESCRIBING OPIOIDS.
STATES HAVE ADOPTED HIM, MANY
INSURANCE COMPANIES AND
COMPANIES HAVE IMPLEMENTED
THEIR STRICTER GUIDELINES.
THE NUMBER OF OPIOID
PRESCRIPTIONS HAVE PLUMMETED
THAT SOUNDS GREAT BUT IT EXCEPT
HERE'S THE THING, IN THE SAME
AMOUNT OF TIME OVERDOSES HAVE
SKYROCKETED A DISCONNECT DOCTOR
ROB, WEBSTER SAYS THAT DEATHS
ARE FROM ILLEGAL DRUGS SUCH AS
SENTINEL AND HEROIN NOT LEGALLY
PRESCRIBED MEDICATION .
>> THOSE WHO ARM IS USING AND
ABUSING THE DRUGS GENERALLY GET
THE DRUGS ILLEGALLY.
THEY ARE USING THEM FOR THE
WRONG PURPOSE.
WRONG PURPOSE. SEPARATELY WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO
HAVE BEEN PRESCRIBED MEDICINES
FOR LEGITIMATE PURPOSES AND
DERIVE GREAT BENEFIT FROM IT.
WE CANNOT CONFLATE THOSE.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SORT
THOSE OUT AS WE DEVELOP PUBLIC
POLICY.
POLICY.
POLICY. >> Reporter: IN MINNESOTA
LEGISLATION IS MOVED TO THE
HOUSE AND SENATE THAT WOULD
IMPLEMENT THOSE STRICTER
GUIDELINES AND IMPOSE MILLIONS
OF DOLLARS OF FEES TO DRUG
MANUFACTURERS SOMETHING
MANUFACTURERS SOMETHING PATIENTS BELIEVE WILL BE PASSED
ON TO THEM.
MINNESOTA'S OPIOID PRESCRIBING
IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM WAS
ESTABLISHED TO REDUCE OPIOID
DEPENDENCY AND MISUSE.
THERE IS NOT ONE CURRENT PAIN
PATIENT THAT IS PART OF A GROUP
MAKING THOSE DECISIONS.
SOMETHING THAT CONCERNS KAMI.
>> IF THAT IS MY ONLY OPTION
RIGHT NOW, THEN THAT IS MY ONLY
OPTION.
OPTION.
OPTION. WHEN THAT IS TAKEN AWAY WHICH I
AM CONCERNED IT WILL BE
CONTACTED AWAY, I DON'T KNOW
WHAT MY LIFE LOOK LIKE.
I CAN TELL YOU I'M SCARED.
IS PEOPLE NEED HELP.
IN THE EFFORT TO HELP THEM, WE
CANNOT BE FORGOTTEN.
>>> WE REACHED OUT TO THE
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN
SERVICES.
SERVICES.
SERVICES. THEY SAY THEY DO HAVE A FORMER
PAIN PATIENT THAT SUFFERED FROM
AN ADDICTION PROBLEM AND
SEVERAL AT OF MEMBERS WHO'VE
TREAT PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC
PAIN IN THE WORKGROUP HAS
RECEIVED AND INCORPORATED PUBLIC
COMMENTS FROM PAIN PATIENTS
THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE
PROJECT AND WE HAVE THEIR
ENTIRE STATEMENT ON OUR WEBSITE
ON KARE11.COM.
ON KARE11.COM. >>> IT IS TRICKY BECAUSE WE'VE
HEARD STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE
THAT WERE PRESCRIBED OPIOIDS
AFTER SURGERY AND BECAME FULL-
BLOWN ATTICS.
BLOWN ATTICS. WHAT IS THE RESPONSE TO THAT ?
>> THAT IS TRUE.
THE FACT IS THEY WERE SO MANY
PRESCRIPTIONS OUT THERE.
WE DO NEED TO CUT DOWN ON THE
NUMBER PRESCRIPTIONS.
NUMBER PRESCRIPTIONS. WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO
CRACK DOWN ON THIS.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE,
NOT THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GETTING
IT OFF THE SURGERY, WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE LIKE KAMI
WHO SUFFERS FROM CHRONIC PAIN
FROM SEVERAL DISEASES AND IT'S
A RECURRING PRESCRIPTION.
BETWEEN HER AND HER DOCTOR,
THEY DECIDED IT IS NOT A
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. SHE IS USING RESPONSIBLY.
NOW YOU'RE NO LONGER BETWEEN
PATIENT AND DOCTOR.
THE WOMEN CLAIMED THAT THE
GOVERNMENT STEPPED INTO THE
POINT WHERE THEY ARE THE ONES
FALLING THROUGH