Students surprised by Vicodin scrips

According to some Pitt students, the best way to score serious prescription painkillers on… According to some Pitt students, the best way to score serious prescription painkillers on campus is to work up a hearty cough and make an appointment with Student Health Services.

Stories have spread around campus that Student Health on Fifth Avenue prescribes Vicodin to students. Because of the drug’s reputation as an addictive painkiller, these rumors have raised eyebrows among students, faculty and even parents.

Some students claim they have sold the pills they were prescribed, while others say they shred their prescriptions without ever even filling them.

But Dr. Elizabeth Wettick, a senior physician at Student Health, said doctors routinely write prescriptions for Vicodin and that it is not as bad as it sounds.

“We usually prescribe Hycodan syrup, a cough syrup, which has codeine in it,” she said. “During the cough and cold season, we frequently have students come in. They sometimes may be prescribed five to 10 Vicodin [for a severe cough].”

Wettick said she trusts the Student Health physicians and knows they would not prescribe the narcotic to a student who did not need it.

“Everybody who works here is savvy enough to know what to do, especially if someone comes in every two weeks for painkillers,” she explained. “Also, when people have pet names for their drug and come in and says, ‘I need my vikes,’ it sends up a red flag.”

Vicodin contains two pain relievers called hydrocodone and acetaminophen. It is often regarded as “the ultimate cough medicine.”

It is prescribed in two dosages. One is made up of 7.5 mg of hydrocodone and 750 mg of acetaminophen and the other contains 5 mg and 500 mg, respectively. Student Health prescribes the weaker 5/500 variety.

Freshman Peter Adams said he was prescribed 12 Vicodin last November for a severe cough.

“[My cough] was not responding to over-the-counter cough syrup and was keeping me up at night … that and a sore throat caused by an [upper respiratory infection],” he said.

Adams said he primarily experienced mild drowsiness while taking the Vicodin.

He took all but three of the pills and took half pills during the day to limit side effects.

“I was very surprised that I was prescribed Vicodin as compared to a codeine-based prescription,” he said, “but the doctor explained very well that both are opiates, which is the reason they help with coughs and that he chose to prescribe me Vicodin because it would help take care of both the severe sore throat and the cough at once.

“In his words: killing two birds with one stone.”

While Vicodin can cause fatigue and nausea, there also exists a risk of chemical dependency. This is what most students are concerned about.

Freshman Scott McLeod admits he used Vicodin recreationally twice and that he obtained it from Pitt students.

“People had it. I’m not too sure where they’d gotten it. They were into crushing them up and snorting a few at once. I would just take one,” he said.

Wettick said that Student Health has no intent on distributing a drug with street value.

“We had an experience where a patient was a drug-seeker. Sometimes we have to be the bad guys to people who want these drugs,” she said.

Wettick explained that a student in true need of Vicodin would rarely receive it from the emergency room, as the ER is accustomed to an abusive population.

McLeod is unsure about Student Health’s ability to control the drug’s final destination and usage.

“It seems extreme, but I’m sure it’s for the right reasons,” he said. “At the same time, I’ve heard of pills prescribed by Student Health being sold to other students, so maybe it’s not such a bright idea.”

Wettick acknowledged the possibility of students abusing their Student Health prescriptions but does not think Vicodin should be eliminated as an option because of its usefulness.

Student Health warns patients of the side effects related to prescription drugs and advises them to flush their pills down the toilet if they are no longer useful.

“We are committed to talking to the students,” she said. “We want people to feel we’re their primary care physicians, and we want this to be a place people like to come to.”

Even with all the controversy, Adams believes Student Health knows what it is doing, and he agrees with its choice to prescribe Vicodin.

He said the Vicodin he got from Student Health helped him a lot.

“I guess that the people who find issues with Student Health prescribing Vicodin don’t understand that although it can be addictive when abused, it is also a valuable and effective drug when prescribed appropriately and taken responsibly by the patient.”