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PARKERSBURG – West Virginia University-Parkersburg hosted a seminar on addiction medication methods Wednesday evening.
Dr. Carl R. Sullivan, director of addictions services at the West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown, spoke to about 30 people in the West Virginia University at Parkersburg’s theater.
Sullivan’s appearance was part of what was dubbed “round 16” of learning sessions for The Governor’s Regional Substance Abuse Task Forces, said Kathy Paxton, director of substance abuse services for the state of West Virginia.
This is the 16th group session held throughout the state in various regions, each designed to focus on the needs of the particular region in the local fight against drug abuse, Paxton said.
The meeting began with a short video message from Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, as he outlined recent updates in state laws regarding drug addiction and overdose treatments.
Among those updates were mention that first responders can now carry and administer naloxone, a medicine designed to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose; and that a Good Samaritan law now protects people from facing legal penalties for drugs in the area if they call for help for someone who is experiencing an overdose.
Sullivan began seeing addiction patients in 1985, he said. When he started his practice, 90 percent of his client base were alcoholics seeking help. In 2015, 95 percent of his client base were opioid users, he said.
“It was a staggering change. I can’t overstate how quickly it occurred,” Sullivan said. “It’s not that the alcoholics went away; it’s that they couldn’t get in to get treatment because the beds are full of opioid patients.”
Opioid treatment includes addiction to a wide variety of medications, including morphine, methadone, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, fentanyl and codeine.
Many doctors throughout the state attempt to help patients who are addicted to opioid drugs, but have little training to do so, Sullivan said.
“Most doctors learn more about treating tuberculosis than they do about treating addictions,” Sullivan said.
Much of the drug problem in West Virginia and throughout America started in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when public attention focused on the fact that little was being done to treat chronic pain in America, said Sullivan.
Today, some physicians prescribe opioid medicines in amounts that are far too great, and many of the pills end up being sold on the streets, Sullivan said.
Sullivan went over several of the drugs used to treat addiction to opioids, including the use of methadone and drugs like it. Some of the drugs are a safer method of obtaining the high that opioid addicts seek, while others serve to block the opioid receptors in the brain and prevent the high altogether, he said.
One of the main problems facing those in addiction programs throughout the state is that counselors are quick to prescribe medicine, but rarely provide enough therapy to help the patient return to a sober lifestyle, Sullivan said.
“A lot of doctors don’t realize that patients need more than a pill and a pat on the head if they are going to get better,” Sullivan said.
The treatments available to opioid addicts are not designed to be weaned off of quickly, he said. Those patients who are weaned off of the medications experience a 90 percent relapse rate, Sullivan said.
Another problem is that doctors will commonly prescribe medications such as Klonopin, Xanex and Adderall to patients who are on methadone, a combination which can become deadly due to the mixture of stimulants and depressants in the patient’s body, Sullivan said.
Those who are seeking treatment for opioid addiction can find help, but often do not know where to turn, Paxton said after Sullivan finished speaking.
“There are empty beds in every region of the state and at every provider. The issue is being able to connect,” Paxton said.
Anyone who is seeking help for an opioid addict can go to www.dhhr.wv.gov/bhhf and click on “search for help” to locate a facility nearby, Paxton said.