On May 17, 2011, Michael David Israel attempted to commit suicide. His attempt was unsuccessful. Michael was taken to a facility, which by mandate of law is supposed to monitor its patients and take care of them following their attempted suicide.
Michael, the then 20-year-old undergraduate architecture major, was released after one day. On June 4, 2011, he reached the pinnacle of his struggles and took his own life.
Suicide ranks as the second-leading cause of death among college students, according to Amanda Tyson-Ryba, a psychologist at UB Wellness Center. There was a memorial service held in Sept. 2011 to commemorate six UB students who took their own lives.
Michael was one of those six.
Michael was a fun-loving kid - just a joy to have around, Avi Israel, Michael's father, told The Spectrum in April. A comedian with a knack for impressions, and an intelligent, bright kid with a good eye for detail - Michael built model airplanes in his spare time. He was compassionate and ready to offer a hug to his loved ones, never wanting an argument to end on bad terms.
Even though Michael had been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, he tried to be a normal kid.
Michael was diagnosed when he was 12 years old with the painful chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes scarring and thickening of the intestinal walls. With the disease came many medication prescriptions.
With the prescriptions came addictions.
Between the ages of 12 and 18, Michael was under pediatric care and treatment for his disease. During the six-year span, he was treated properly without any gelatin encapsulate synthetic heroine or other addicting medications.
Michael's treatment changed when he legally became an adult at the age of 18. It was illegal for his parents to have open access to any of his pharmacy, treatment or prescription records. Michael also switched from his pediatrician to an adult gastrointestinal specialist, a doctor who specializes in diseases of the stomach and intestines.
That's when the doctor started prescribing the hard drugs, according to Avi.
The first round of treatment Michael received from his GI included a 15-minute consultation process, followed by a handshake at the door and a prescription for hydrocodone for the chronic pain Michael suffered due to his Crohn's disease, according to Avi.
"The problem with these pain pills - these opiates - [is] they don't actually fix the problem or help treat the disease, they just act as a mask for the real problem," said Philip Luzio, a family friend of the Israel's. "And they are addicting. He wasn't being helped or treated; they were just prescribing him pill after pill and not fixing the actual problem."
Michael visited a second primary care physician. He told this doctor he was struggling with depression, the likes of which stemmed from his condition as well as the medication he was taking. He was written a prescription for Cymbalta, a drug used to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder.
Michael continued to struggle with anxiety and depression while continuing to take the diet of pills his doctors had prescribed for him.
He eventually visited to a third primary care physician in his quest for help. He repeated to this doctor his growing list of ailments and the anxiety that had taken a hold of his life and in return, this doctor handed Michael a prescription for Xanax, a drug used to treat anxiety and panic disorders.
Now Michael was taking 21 pills a day for both his Crohn's disease and the depression and anxiety that accompanied it.
After about a year and a half, Michael realized he had become addicted to his pain medication, hydrocodone, which his doctors continued to prescribe him, according to Avi.
Michael never tried to hide his developed addiction.
He wanted help, but help seemed impossible to find.
Michael told his father about his addiction. Avi sought to help his son by getting him into a week-long detox program, but insurance only covered three days of the program. Avi paid the rest out of pocket. He desperately wanted his son to get the help he needed.
Michael's parents felt the program couldn't have helped him stay clean for more than a few days because after that week, doctors went right back to prescribing him hydrocodone.
His two-year struggle with his addiction to opiates was getting the best of him so Michael called his drug counselor to try and enroll himself in another detox program.
"Within five minutes, his counselor told him that there were no beds for him and that they could not help him," Avi said. "He was dismissed. He was ignored."
That day, right after that phone call, Michael took his own life. After two years of battling not only his Crohn's disease, but also his continued dismissal and eventual addiction, it became too much for him.
Taking action
In the 15 months following Michael's death, Michael's parents and family friends - as well as other individuals who have lost loved ones due to prescription drug addiction - have been at the forefront of a movement that has been lobbying to establish and reform legislation revolving around prescription drugs.
Previously, there hasn't been legislation that mandates open communication about the varying medications being prescribed to patients.
However, thanks to the Israels' tireless campaign, that is about to change.
On June 11, 2012, the legislation the Israels had been trying to get passed - known as Internet System for Tracking Over Prescribing Act (I-STOP) - was passed through both houses in a rarely seen unanimous decision from the Senate and the Assembly.
This new legislation details the setup of a centralized database that will allow for more control over prescription drugs. The database will give doctors information on patient prescription history and will require pharmacists to provide information on these powerful, habit-forming drugs.
This bill also mandates the reclassification of hydrocodone to show the risk of abuse that coincides with its use. It will also initiate the "e-prescribing" - a computer-based filing system that allows a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant to electronically submit a new prescription or renewal to pharmacies - of controlled substances to prevent prescription fraud.
This prevents errors found in paper scripts or the trading of scripts, and it allows healthcare providers to communicate directly with pharmacies - an essential step that will connect all levels of a patient's healthcare team in order to provide knowledgeable treatment.
The act has also created a safe drug disposal program for expired and unused medications.
"You wouldn't believe the support we received when we made our proposal in Washington," Luzio said. "Everyone congratulating you, telling you how good you're doing, how many people were crying and how many people were truly touched."
All of these prescription drug legislation changes were made six months after the Israels joined the cause.
It has not been an easy battle, however. Big pharmaceutical companies have been fighting the legislation and have much more financial resources than Avi, an electrician.
"After all this [campaigning] and time off from work, my bank account is pretty much nonexistent," Avi said.
Nothing will stop the Israels as they fight on in loving memory of their deceased son.
Michael is just one of the thousands who has succumb to suicide because of prescription drug addiction in the United States.
On Oct. 29-30, a group of parent survivors will be protesting in front of the FDA, one of the movement's biggest adversaries, in Washington.
"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem," Tyson-Ryba said. "Never forget there are people who love you and care about you, and no matter what, you always have someone to talk to."
Email: features@ubspectrum.com
