Overkilling the Pain Page 4
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OLD GOL BLACK WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013 oldgoldandblack.comlJ VOL. 96, NO. 16 Program brings faculty to students Overkilling the pain Page 4 Museum celebrates 5oth anniversary Paqe z Demon Deacsin the Dominican Republic Page 12 Julie Huggins/Old Gold & Black The CDC has reported that prescription narcotics abuse is rising, a trend that includes college cam• puses, where the risks of abuse and misuse are high because of the prevalence of binge drinking. Controlled narcotics are often "It hurt, but I was functioning," Interrante to health care providers increased more than said. "I didn't think I needed the Vicodin, 300 percent since 1999. College football prescribed by SHS despite but I wasn't going to complain." While Cecil Price, director of the univer• bowl advertising Vicodin is a high-strength painkiller, the sity's Student Health Services, acknowledges serious risks of overdose most widely prescribed class of medication the growing trend in overprescribing pre• Page 12 in the U.S. While the Drug Enforcement scription painkillers, he maintains that Stu• BY LAURA MAZURACK Administration (DEA) has categorized most dent Health is prudent in its use of Vicodin. Contributing Writer prescription painkillers, like Percocet and "The majority of what we do for pain is [email protected] Oxycontin, in the highly restricted Schedule ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatory How to keep New II category, Vicodin is one of the few that medication, but we look at the circum• Senior Mary Kate Interrante wasn't falls under the less regulated Schedule III stance," Price said. "If a student tells us those Year's resolutions shocked when the university Student Health class. Due to its lower status, Vicodin is the medicines aren't helping, then we would Page 16 center gave her a prescription for Vicodin. easiest painkiller to prescribe, though it's no think about using a narcotic." After all, it was the fourth time she had re• less addictive than its Schedule II counter• But Price is also aware of the dangers of ceived a controlled narcotic from Student parts. The prevalence of prescription pain• narcotic abuse, especially the combination Recappingthe Health Services. killers has been on the rise, aided in part of alcohol and painkillers - a dangerous Interrante was suffering from an ear infec• by ease of access to Vicodin. According to problem on a national scale. The CDC has Golden Globes tion, and though she was in pain, the Vico• a recent Center for Disease Control (CDC) Page 19 din prescription seemed extreme. press release, sales of prescription painkillers See Drugs, Page 7 Where do we go Job market slowly inches forward after the Newtown shootings? Despite market upswings, Page 10 students still face rigorous job search in senior year Getting the most BY MARY HARBOUR out of college Contributing Writer Page g [email protected] Many seniors are anxious about landing a job after graduation, and whi~ethe econoi_ny Emma Lingan: is certainly not booming, thmgs are begin- ning to look up. Boehnertested by "I have seen some reason for cautious op• his own party timism," Patrick Sullivan, assistant director of career education and counseling at the oldgoldandblack.com Office of Personal and Career Development, 1 Clare Stanton/Old Gold & Black said. The Office of Personal and Career Development aims to facili• According to the Bureau of Labor Statis• tate the job search with Deacon Source anti onsite interviews. tics, the unemployment rate for those with a bachelor's degree or higher was only 3.8 a marketing company located in Charlotte, needs had since doubled. "In pockets, things percent in October of last year, down from N.C., held on-campus interviews in Octo• are improving," Sullivan said. 4.4 percent in October 2011. As a prime ber and then returned in November to hold example, Sullivan said that Red Ventures, . rp.ore. ,iQtervic;ws,,. citing that . their hiring See Jobs, Page 4 This column represents the views of the Old Gold & Black Editorial Board. Student Health's overprescription of narcotics raises concern While the national debate on the over• After all, narcotic pain killers do exist Upon evaluating these points, the earlier For instance, some law enforcement now prescription of narcotic drugs ensues, our for a reason, and they are effective question of whether or not Student Health's requires the use of triplicate prescriptions campus has joined in as it deals with its and relatively harmless when taken actions should be further regulated rises for pain killers, in which one copy remains own questions about the nature of students' •• responsibly. again. with the physician, one copy goes to the access to these substances. After all, narcotic pain killers do exist for pharmacist administering the drug, and the Concern has arisen over whether Student a reason, and they are effective and relatively final copy is sent to the Drug Enforcement Health's prescription of painkillers, such in their desire for and use of prescription harmless when taken responsibly. Agency. as Vicodin and Codeine co students has painkillers. The first step Student Health should take While such measures may appear extreme become too liberal and whether or not it On the other hand, the threat of abuse is is to reevaluate its criteria for prescribing now, they may help to avoid potential should be further regulated. real and should not be ignored. In addition, pain killers. accusations against our Student Health In dealing with sensitive issues such as patients and doctors occasionally encounter Which is the bigger priority, the pain officials of being "script" doctors, who only chis one, it is pertinent to evaluate chem difficulties with communicating the true itself or the cause of chat pain? How severe prescribe such medications for profit, or as from a cost-benefit standpoint. nature and severity of the pain the patients muse a headache, or any "ache" for chat of being "well-intentioned" doctors who On the one hand, many individuals do are experiencing. College students, in matter, become before it warrants the use are naive or out-of-couch with che medical suffer from chronic, unbearable pain, and particular, are no exception to chat rule. of something stronger than Tylenol? These community. sometimes a strong sedative is the best and Moreover, with the equally troubling and other similar questions should not The OGB staff acknowledges the reality fastest solution to whatever problem they prevalence of binge drinking on college be ignored by our campus's most trusted chat some students do require and benefit are dealing with. campuses, university students are probably medical professionals. from the use of prescription painkillers, but People suffering from certain conditions, the demographic of which it is most Additionally, it might not be a bad idea we also support a healthy well-being and such as cancer, osteoarthritis, severe burns beneficial for chem to have the least access for our Student Health officials to mirror quality of life that does not encourage an and severe migraines are usually justified to these substances. the activities of their national counterparts. abusive and unstable campus culture. 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