’LOLLIPOP DRUG’ HIGHLY ADDICTIVE

[Alfa]

'LOLLIPOP DRUG' HIGHLY ADDICTIVE

A teenager sits on the couch of his home, watching television and sucking
on a lollipop.

The 15-year-old's mother walks by and notices nothing unusual.

Unbeknownst to her, the child is using drugs.

"It looks just like a lollipop," said Alexandria police Sgt. Newmon Bobb,
supervisor of the Narcotics Division. "Parents wouldn't notice."

Cancer patients use the drug Actiq to help with "breakthrough cancer pain,"
Bobb said. On the street, it is known as the "lollipop drug" or perc-a-pop,
and is as addictive as other prescription medicines.

The berry-flavored medicine is on a stick and resembles a lollipop. It has
its legal uses, but like other prescription medicines, it is being
diverted, Bobb said.

While not yet popular in Alexandria, the drug is something Bobb wants to
warn parents about before it becomes the next big thing for drug users,
especially children. Metro narcotics agents already have had one case where
a suspect was in possession of the lollipop drug.

Agents know the medicine is on the street, but have not seen it in large
quantities.

Bobb said the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration has
reported an increase in misuse of the drug's ingredient fentanyl.

In 2000, there were 576 reports of nonmedical use for the medicine, but the
total increased to nearly 1,500 in 2002.

Actiq began as a concept to provide a pain reliever for children, said Dr.
Stephen Katz, an Alexandria pain-management specialist. The ingredient
fentanyl is a synthetic form of morphine, but it is four to 10 times more
powerful, he said.

Actiq usually is used for patients who already are taking other narcotics.
Misuse of the medicine is "very hazardous," Bobb said. "It could result in
injury or death." Katz agreed, saying the medicine is "very addictive." Its
misuse can result in respiratory depression and makes swallowing difficult.
Mixing it with other depressives, like alcohol, is even more dangerous, he
said, adding that the medicine can cause dizziness, sleepiness and nausea.

Because of its hazards, www.actiq.com states that kits are available that
include a child restraint safety lock, warning stickers and magnets for the
home and child-resistant storage containers.

Bobb fears it is just a matter of time before the lollipop drug starts
popping up in central Louisiana. Each stick costs $6 to $9 from a pharmacy,
but sells for $20 to $30 on the street, Bobb said.

The drug's impact lasts about an hour.

Katz prescribes Actiq and said it works well for his cancer patients.
However, he, too, fears its use is being diverted.

Bobb is especially concerned about the medicine's appeal to children and
teenagers. Bobb estimates the target group of illegal sales of the medicine
is 15 and older but younger children could misuse it.

Teenagers responded one of two ways when asked about the medicine: "What?"
or "I have never heard of it." Bradley Gunter, a 2004 graduate of Oak Hill
High School, has never heard of the lollipop drug, but the thought of it
being on the street scares him. It is something new for the college-bound
student to worry about. For illegal drug users, Actiq is easy to use, there
is no needle or swallowing, and it can be easily concealed, authorities said.

Manufacturers have designed ways to make the medicine less appealing to
children. They are white on a plain white stick with "RX" on it. They also
come packaged in foil covering not easily opened by children.

In addition, Capt. James Rauls of Metro Narcotics said it is harder to
divert than other medicines. The prescription for Actiq is tailored to
cancer patients and not used for other treatments.

[napoleon in rags]

I had a dream where someone tried to sell me a fentanayl lolipop when i was walking around downtown. I had never heard of it at the time and figured that i was being swindled. since then i wish i could return to that dream

[Forthesevenlakes]

thats funny, swim was acquainted with a supplier who received it for something very unlike cancer...nerve inflammation...although i'm sure the degree of pain and suffering would be comparable. i do love the quote stating that "college students have something new to worry about", as if these lollipops were easily accessible, and would be tempting would-be doctors with their sweet opiated goodness. gotta love the media hysteria of any "new" drug that shows up as a blip on the public radar long enough to exploit it.

[sands of time]

I can't believe they make fentanyl lollies!!! Can't you just picture some kids eating a few of those without knowing what they really are? It's like they're just inviting kids to use the stuff. The only thing that would make kids want them more is if the good folks at the D.E.A. embarked on a quest to warn kids and tell them not to use them.

[MountainDeW]

These are for adults, and children, in burn wards who have to have the bandages, over their 3rd degree burns which ooze and stick to their skin like glue, removed. Imagine the pain involved in a procedure like that. These lollipops are a godsend for people in extreme pain.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Are these more powerful than fentanyl patches?What is fentanyls oral bioavaillabillity sublingually versus subcutaneous?

[nEone]

Funny - I was hoping this thread was going to be about Corn Syrup.

Just as addictive, just as dangerous.

Obesity ruins more lives than fentanyl.

Nice to see that someone is finding more novel ways to administer drugs to cancer patients than giant horse pills.

[Politicalchalk]

Swim remembers the very distinct artificial raspberry flavor. He had also rediscovered his *original* Nintendo that day. Kirby's Dream Land...a dream indeed...

[FrankenChrist]

what always annoys me is the smug tone and scaremongering in this type of articles.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

I usually hate these scaremongering,terrorize concerned type parents articles myself.However with this abit of scaremongering might be neccessary.Fentanyl is nothing to play around with!Especially for someone who is totally opiate naive.However in swims experience one has to be in a circle of experienced opiate users to even think of having access to fentanyl.Swim can't imagine some clueless fifteen year old coming across fentanyl often.

[Ontherooftops]

Swim has yet to see a fentanyl lollipop on the black market. He think's its unlikely that he could get one if he were to search high and low, and he knows plenty of people on big pharma's happy list. Its not like pharmacies/doctors go around tossing those sticks out to school children. Yeah, if some dad leaves that shit out on the counter and his kid picks it up there's gonna be an issue, but that's the dad's bag of 'taters.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Swim only comes across the patches.He would love to come across the lollipops but never has.This article does seem like sensationalism.Ofcourse we all know the war on drugs continues inpart due to sensationalism and horror stories.

[MountainDeW]

Just hope some old granny doesn't hand one out at Halloween. Sorry for the short post, but 'nuff said.

[FrankenChrist]

Originally Posted by Orchid_Suspiria

I usually hate these scaremongering,terrorize concerned type parents articles myself.However with this abit of scaremongering might be neccessary.Fentanyl is nothing to play around with!Especially for someone who is totally opiate naive.However in swims experience one has to be in a circle of experienced opiate users to even think of having access to fentanyl.Swim can't imagine some clueless fifteen year old coming across fentanyl often.

That said, I also hate shithead 15 year olds

[Politicalchalk]

Swim has encountered fentanyl lollipops in hardcore opiate circles. Swim never did H, nor would he want to (...perhaps if pharmaceutical grade....), but it was seen in the same place as H and Methadone.

"Perc-a-pop" -heh. Anyways, in this area, it's something one really has to go out and search for. Seeing they are technically only indicated for "breakthrough" pain in cancer, one assumes they aren't as distributed anywhere nearly as wide as traditional form opiates. Of course, they can be Rxed "off-label"----but one rarely goes to the doctor to get candy.

Anyone know if they are sugarless or not? That could have a major impact on Rxing habits. Docs in the US always recommend "Sugarless candy or ice chips" for dry mouth.

[lexifer]

Swim can't really see too many 15 year olds being tempted to buy these. From swim's experience, at least in his area, these things are pretty damn expensive and feels that that alone would ward off a lot of the kiddies.

[Matt The Funk]

Originally Posted by Orchid_Suspiria

I usually hate these scaremongering,terrorize concerned type parents articles myself.However with this abit of scaremongering might be neccessary.Fentanyl is nothing to play around with!Especially for someone who is totally opiate naive.However in swims experience one has to be in a circle of experienced opiate users to even think of having access to fentanyl.Swim can't imagine some clueless fifteen year old coming across fentanyl often.

Yeah...someone has to be pretty deep into opiates to come across fentanyl... SWIM really agrees with this post to the highest extent.

[Spare Chaynge]

Swim was friends with a family of pharmacist who owned there own pharamacy and use to regularly get 3 boxes of these each containing 30, 800mcg fentanyl pops. They were swims down fall. They are just a lollipop, what bad could come from it. 2 years later swim is waiting in line at the methadone clinic.

These pops come in 200,400,800 and 1600 mcg.. swim is sure they have other doses but this is what swim was familiar with. Swim would get them and sell them for 5 to 6 times what he bought them for.. Swim could sell them to people who wouldnt even smoke weed because of the innocent lollipop form it came in... swims sure if they were heroin pops people wouldnt have anything to do with them.

swim when asked what flavor they were would say mild berry. there is probally something better to describe them though..
They do not appear on the black markey alot because they are strictly controlled and people who get them keep them for themselves. They are a very cool thiing to show up with a party at.. swims group was called the lolli pop kids for a couple of years..

PS most of the lollipop kids are dead or in jail.

[AntiAimer]

Originally Posted by sands of time

I can't believe they make fentanyl lollies!!! Can't you just picture some kids eating a few of those without knowing what they really are? It's like they're just inviting kids to use the stuff. The only thing that would make kids want them more is if the good folks at the D.E.A. embarked on a quest to warn kids and tell them not to use them.

[Politicalchalk]

Swim's cat used to sell them (as a sub-contractor), but he reffered to them as "Morphine Suckers" -- ditto with patches.

Swim's dog used to sell controlled release Morphine as Oxycontin, on the same token.

It's a shame that 15 year olds who ARE experimenting with opiates, very potent opiates such as above, don't bother to verify what they've got. So easy with internet access. 3mg of fentanyl is a lot different than 3mg of morphine!!

Guess it's the name that gets the sales. "Perc-a-pop" -- still can't get over that.

Anyways, back to my original point: there's just some kids who want to get F*ed up, as strong and fast as they can. The substance in these individuals is largely irrelevant sans oddly specific, personal choices, eg, "I'll do any drug except this-or-that because such-and-such claims X." Price, is, however, an interesting factor in the equation in addition to mere availability. Some would argue that the higher price must mean higher demand, and hence, is more worthy of merit among drug users.

RIP those lolli pop kids. Fentanyl's a bad choice to start one's artificial illuminations with. Had a friend that died from smoking the gel in a patch, the stupid fool.

Not all, but some of today's youth has Rodney Dangerfield Syndrome when it comes to experimenting with new substances: No Respect.

Who ever thought there would be DEA-level candy? Literal candy??