Opioid addiction help offered

New program aimed at under-30s starting to abuse prescription painkillers

With youth today more likely to experiment with painkillers such as OxyContin and Fentanyl than cigarettes, Ottawa health authorities have launched a program targeting opioid use in people under 30.

The Regional Opioid Intervention Service aims to stop addiction early by treating patients under 30 who have been using for five years or less.

“It’s the early intervention,” said Dr. Kim Corace, the project co-ordinator.

Young people now are more likely to try opioid painkillers than tobacco, Dr. Melanie Willows, clinical director of the substance-abuse program at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, said in a release.

In 2011, 14 per cent of high school students in Ontario had used prescription opioids, compared with nine per cent who had used cigarettes, project organizers say. Most teens are first exposed to opioids when someone in their home has a prescription.

“The more that’s out there, the more they’ll use,” Corace said.

The painkillers combine a rush of pleasure to the brain with a painful withdrawal, making them highly addictive — and highly dangerous.

In Manotick last August, Tyler Campbell died of a Fentanyl overdose. A story in the Citizen said police estimated 30 high school students in Manotick were hooked on the drug and traced a series of break-ins in Barrhaven to Fentanyl addiction.

The program will be the first of its kind in Ontario to offer outpatient detoxification to those suffering opioid addiction as well as mental health services to deal with related problems. The program will work with hospitals, community health centres and family physicians to identify candidates and provide treatments.

According to Corace, 40 to 70 per cent of opioid users also have a mental health disorder, while as many as 50 per cent have attempted suicide. The biggest problems are anxiety and depression.

“By addressing mental health issues, we give them a better chance at recovery,” she said.

Currently, some addiction services or mental health services lack the capacity or resources to treat both at once. Rural areas, Corace said, are especially underserved. Rural physicians and health-care workers will also be trained to treat people in their community.

It was this connection to primary-care services that persuaded the Champlain Local Health Integration Network to give the program onetime funding of $360,000, said Chantale LeClerc, who heads the network. A fund at the Royal meant to encourage new and innovative healthcare programs provided additional cash.

The addiction program is voluntary; individuals seeking help for opiate use can attend monthly orientation session at the Royal, with the first scheduled for Jan. 10. Anyone interested in attending a session can call 613-722-6521 ext. 6105.