‘A lifesaver’: EMS opioid withdrawal program helps 500th person ease off drugs

Nicole Villalpando  Austin American-Statesman

Desirée Rodriguez, 35, was in a car accident in 2015 that resulted in horrible back pain. Her doctor prescribed the Austin mother of four an opioid to relieve the pain.

Rodriguez went from taking one pill at a time then two and eventually four to deal with the pain, all prescribed by her doctor. She said her children watched as her dependency on the pills increased.

“Them seeing me open a medicine bottle wasn’t exactly what I wanted,” she said. “It got to the point where I didn’t want to live this way.”

In August 2022, she decided to take herself off the medication. She became sick with withdrawal symptoms. “Unable to do my mommy duties, I did not eat or sleep for four or five days,” she said.

Original News Source: