Bridge Device recipients tell their story

WASILLA — Looking at Valley residents Erica Anderson and Serena Espinoza, it's easy to make snap judgments.

At 46, Anderson, a mother of two grown children is reserved, quiet and lives in a roomy and comfortable ranch home with her husband in Wasilla. Serena Espinoza is an outgoing 31-year old mother of three with a troubled past. She’s proud of the tattoos that adorn her left arm.

The ladies may have come from different backgrounds, but they ended up on the same path — opioid addiction.

Both are part of what could become a ground-breaking method for kicking that addiction. Anderson and Espinoza are utilizing the Bridge Device which, when combined with non-narcotic medications, can eliminate 7 to 100 percent of the withdrawal symptoms associated with heroin, prescription medications, and other opioids.

Espinoza is vice president of R.E.A.L. (Recovery is Everyone's Access to Life) Addiction and is also a recovery advocate. She also serves as a board administrator for Fallen Up Ministries. Anderson is a mother and housewife who, up until the point of losing her job because of her addiction, was also a breadwinner.

While Espinoza received her Bridge Devices through a different route, Anderson made the approximate 4.5 hour drive to Fairbanks where Paul Finch, a physician's assistant working at North Country Medical, hooks up individuals with the device and provides needed medicines. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has OK’d the device for safety, but has not signed off on it as a cure-all for stopping opioid dependency.

It works by blocking pleasure at the level of the brain and stops another part of the brain from firing pain signals. It's attached around the ear and is worn for 4-5 days, which is the typical period of the most intense withdrawal symptoms related to opioid addiction. The Bridge is implanted by trained providers just behind the ear where cranial nerves are closest to the surface. A battery operated chip sends impulses to nerves to help block the pain.

The unit and placement costs $600 but does not require a doctor referral and is available to anyone. Both ladies stated that is a small price to pay when considering what someone addicted to opioids will spend in a week.

Anderson said she was issued her first opioids from a blanket diagnosis of fibromyalgia through her regular doctor who prescribed Tramadol. She was then referred to a pain management clinic and was immediately bumped up to six, 10-milligram oxycodones daily.

"They didn't help to try and fix the pain," Anderson said of the more than half-a-year of being fed opioids. "My husband disagreed with the whole thing from day one, but all I knew is that it was taking away the pain."

Anderson said after months of prescriptions, the pain clinic had her set for steroid injections. Just before she scheduled, she called to confirm and was told she was no longer a patient. She said she was told by clinic personnel that she would get a letter in the mail explaining why. Despite contacting management and leaving phone messages, she wasn't seen again. Then the spiral began.

"I had no clue about withdrawals; I had no idea of what it was. I thought they should have helped me. Two months later, they contacted and offered more pain meds," Anderson said. Falling back on her regular doctor, Anderson said she was prescribed meds to help with the withdrawal and anxiety symptoms she was experiencing. "I tried any doctor I could."

Anderson said it wasn't long when she discovered work colleagues offered hope.

"Somebody had pills...it was on,” Anderson said. “I just started buying them."

She said as her addiction increased, she spent more. By the end Anderson said she was spending about $300 a day on her addiction habit.

"Your brain is so messed up. I needed it, despite realizing how much it cost," Anderson said. "I got it. I realized how ridiculous it was. I cried many times on my way to my dealer's house. I begged God to take this away. There was never enough to satisfy that urge."

Espinoza said she had been using a variety of drugs off and on for about 18 years.

In 2009, Espinoza's habit landed her in the Alaska court system.

"They called it a heist. I loaded up a cart of laptops, Blue Rays, anything I could load into the cart and out the door I went," Espinoza said. About a year later, she was pegged for probation violations for again, using drugs.

Espinoza noted she is a long-time sufferer of back problems. She said doctors confirmed those issues with X-rays and MRI scans and told her she needed opioid medications. A visit by her probation officer landed her in hot water again, but not from what you would think. She was given subutex (Suboxone) while jailed and pregnant with her second child. Suboxone is given to help block symptoms and cravings of opioid addiction.

To help with the back pain, Espinoza said she was given, among other things, monthly prescriptions for 90 10 mg. Percocets for six months.

"Finally, I was recommended to a pain clinic...they had me on high doses of methadone, high doses of oxy's (oxycodone). You name it, I was on it," Espinoza said. She said a probation officer accused of not taking some opioids and selling other non-opioid drugs used to treat her attention deficit disorder (ADD). "I had given some of the (ADD drugs away). They aren't worth anything. I told them the truth and was accused of selling them."

Unlike most recipients, Espinoza required two Bridge devices. The detox period for Suboxone can last up to two weeks. Anderson received her Bridge device March 6, and Espinoza wrapped up her second one Monday. Both ladies also incorporated "comfort meds" for the first couple of days to help alleviate some of the symptoms and plan on the required Vivitrol shots. Vivitrol is administered every 28 days and is important in blocking brain signals related to opioid cravings. Both ladies also stated that they were "ready to quit,” a very important part of their success. Both also stressed the importance of peer support.

Anderson said she the one-day round-trips to Fairbanks, combined with the meds, knocked her out.

"I slept. When I made that decision, I knew I was done. I didn't have any other choice," Anderson said. She said knowing she was going to get the Bridge played a part in making the last day of her addiction more bearable. Still, symptoms remained. "No one warns you about the emotional part. I cried but I didn't even know why I was crying."

"I'm still really tired. I don't have any physical withdrawals but I'm hot and cold sometimes. I'm still on trazadone (non-opioid drug to help with sleep) and I still have severe lethargy," Anderson said. "It's super frustrating right now. My legs are so weak and shake, I can't move. I'm exhausted. I can barely take a shower."

Espinoza said even though the body is recovering, the brain is still misfiring. She said it can take a year or more for all symptoms — like lethargy, to go away. Anderson wanted to stress that that the addiction can happen to anyone, regardless of social or job status.

"We are from two completely different backgrounds but we're on the same page," Anderson said reflecting on herself and Espinoza.

"My first day, I actually went to church. Then it hit me," Espinoza said of her initial dealings with the Bridge. "I couldn't keep myself from falling asleep. I had to have (my son watched) for three days but I would rather be exhausted that the alternative from withdrawals."

At a recent Mat-Su Opioid Taskforce meeting, which she sits on, Espinoza said her withdrawal symptoms were 90 percent gone.

Both ladies stated not once have they considered regressing back to using. Both say they couldn't have stayed clean without the device.