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"Methadone claims first victim here"
"17-year-old took overdose of heroin-like substitute"

Source: Pottsville Republican/Evening Herald Newspaper
By: Frank Andruscavage


The case of a Pottsville teen-ager who died Friday from a methadone overdose - the first local fatality from that drug - comes as a shock to health officials, who say the drug is difficult to obtain and not the "street drug" of choice in Schuylkill County.

Liquid methadone is rarely found locally since there is no in-county clinic where it is administered to help addicts kick the heroin habit, said Sherri Yawornicky of the Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol Commission.

However, it is assumed that Nicole Tassone, 17, took the drug in pill form, which is used to relieve pain in terminal cancer patients, Yawornicky said.

"I would find it very hard to believe that this girl would have been able to get it in (liquid) form," she added. However, it is prescribed by pill form by local physicians.

"Since this ... death, we're looking at all our statistics regarding methadone," Yawornicky said. "It put us in high gear and I was quite surprised that methadone was involved."

The second drug involved in Tassone's death - oxycodone - is a strong drug, one step below morphine - is also used to alleviate the pain of cancer, according to Debra L. Moroz, the commission's executive director.

"It's always a dangerous combination," she added, likely to lead to a tragedy like Friday's.

Pennsylvania State Police criminal investigator Trooper Kirk A. Kirkland of Troop L, Frackville, said methadone is a clinical drug and rarely found being used on the street.

Tuesday, Pottsville police charged an 18-year-old city girl with possession and delivery of a controlled substance for allegedly providing drugs to Tassone.

Amber L. Blickley, 703 N. Centre St., faces felony charges under Act 64, the Drug Device and Cosmetic Act, Pottsville Police Chief Dale L. Repp said. Repp said the investigation into who supplied the drugs to Blickley is continuing.

Also arrested was Robert C. Davis, Jr., 20, of 231 Pierce St., Pottsville, who was charged with providing alcohol to the girls while all were at Tassone's home on Oct. 12, the night before her death.

Dr. Richard P. Bindie, Schuylkill County forensic pathologist, said he is waiting for toxicology tests to confirm that methadone was the cause of the Pottsville girl's death.

"I should have that information in a couple of days," Bindie said Tuesday. "When those tests come back we should know a lot more."

Involved in any type of suspicious death in the county, Bindie said he has seen many overdose incidents, but none involving methadone.

"I don't recall any other incidents than this," he said.

According to McDermott's Guide to Depressant Drugs, methadone was developed in Nazi Germany during World War II after the country's supply of opium was cut off.

Methadone is an entirely synthetic opiate and its pain-killing effects last longer, causing it to become the drug of choice for doctors who are trying to help heroin users manager their opiate dependency.

Heroin wears off after a couple of hours thus requiring several hits each day. Methadone, on the other hand, lasts anywhere between 24 and 72 hours depending on the dose taken and the individual's metabolism.

The drug comes in several forms, including ampoules, tablets and liquid.

"This stuff is very, very strong," the guide stated. "If you ever happen to come across it, be extremely careful how much you use, especially if you are only used to street smack."

Many users claim that the problem with methadone is that it lacks heroin's intensity.

"It doesn't give you the same rush when injected and many users believe that the high is inferior compared to heroin," the book continues.

In blind trials, users who were given both drugs orally were unable to distinguish between the effects of the two.

However, where heroin has an advantage over methadone is in withdrawal.

Withdrawal from heroin should be over after seven to 10 days, while withdrawal from methadone can take up to a month or longer.



Site Map
Article:
Teen Girl Charged In Death By Drugs
Article:
Methadone Claims First Victim Here
Article:
Police: Methadone Prescribed Legally, Stolen From Medicine Cabinet
Article:
Nikki's Mother Tells Of That Fatal Night
Article:
Plea Deal Sought In Teen's Death
Article:
Search For Justice An Individual Quest
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What is Methadone?
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In Memory Of: Nicole E. Tassone
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