Bonners man shares story about addiction

An addiction to the painkiller Oxycontin can cause the most moral person to do the most unexpected.

Bonners Ferry businessman Chris Matyi can attest to that.

“I honestly felt like there was no other option for me,” said Matyi, who recently got probation for illegally obtaining two prescriptions for Oxycontin for severe chronic back pain. “It was a very, very low point in my life.”

Gary Jones understands.

“If I was in his shoes, I would’ve done the same thing,” said the 70-year-old Bonners Ferry man, who is a friend of Matyi’s and also suffers from chronic back pain. “I’ve been in such pain, that I think I would’ve done anything.”

Matyi was charged with two felonies after he was accused of changing a doctor’s prescriptions on Nov. 9 and Nov. 30, 2007, to include a total of 150 of the painkillers. The prescriptions were presented to Safeway.

He pled guilty to one count and was sentenced to two to four years probation and four days community service, and fined $500.

Matyi, who shared his story with The Herald in hopes of educating others about this highly addictive painkiller, was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease after being treated for a crushed disc four years ago.

He underwent surgery and was prescribed the painkiller Lortab

“I was feeling okay for about a month, and one day I coughed. It was like getting hit by a bolt of lightning,” Matyi said.

The pain worsened in months to come. Matyi couldn’t sleep, couldn’t lie down and was in constant pain. That’s when a doctor put the 40-year-old father of three on Oxycontin.

A second surgery followed six months later. All the while, Matyi was still taking Oxycontin.

After surgery, he was once again subscribed up to five tablets of Oxycontin a day; that’s more than what a cancer patient takes in the disease’s late stages, he said. Matyi at times would take tablets as little as every three hours, or when needed to function.

A doctor then prescribed an experimental painkiller and took away the Oxycontin. It left Matyi unable to function and missing work.

In a desperate attempt to return to work, Matyi said he twice added 75 Oxycontin to his prescription for the experimental painkiller.

“I honestly felt like there was no other option for me,” he said. “It was a very desperate thing. I felt like it was an attempt to get to work.”

Adam Kusler, an international certified alcohol and drug counselor with Alliance Family Services in Sandpoint, wasn’t surprised to hear Matyi’s story. It’s all too common.

Oxycontin is basically heroin, Kusler said.

“It’s very addictive, and I guess in a very short period of time, you build a tolerance for it,” he said. “Once a tolerance is formed, you need more to achieve the desired effect. The stronger the addiction grows, the more it takes to achieve the desired effect.”

In addition, the stronger the need, the more the brain loses its ability to make rational decisions.

“It changes one’s priority,” Kusler said. “The addictive brain tends to focus on getting the medication.”

When taking Oxycontin for severe chronic pain, larger doses are required.

“When taking such a large amount, the brain is automatically going to increase the need for the medication,” Kusler said. “It’s impossible to avoid some type of addiction. Regardless of how good a person is, how moral you are . . . we see it all the time. We have thousands of people in North Idaho in the same situation.”

The day Matyi learned he’d been turned into police, he quit “cold turkey.” For the last 10 months, he’s opted for 12 to 15 Ibuprofen a day.

“My stomach is torn to shreds and I’m afraid of my next surgery,” he said.

Matyi is meeting with a doctor today to talk about getting a fusion on his back. Without it, he could end up in a wheelchair.

Oxycontin is the only drug that will kill the pain after surgery.

“It scares the heck out of me,” Matyi said. “It’s the only thing that works.”