INDIANAPOLIS -- The former head of the FDA now calls the opioid epidemic one of the "great mistakes in modern medicine."
In Indiana, one of the top-ten states in the nation for pain prescriptions, hundreds of Hoosiers will die this year from opioid abuse.
Kimberly Miller says she could have been one of them.
After a back surgery 15 years ago, Miller became hooked on OxyContin, the brand name for oxycodone.
"Drugs led me to do things I normally wouldn't do, to harm people who loved me the most, who had my best interest," Miller said.
An analysis of FDA data from 2004-2015 ranked Oxycodone, the generic name for OxyContin, as one of the 50 Most Dangerous Drugs on the Market. See all 50 here.
Miller's world turned upside-down when she went to jail.
"Once I surrendered … once I surrendered and knew I was thoroughly whooped, I needed help," Miller said. "I went to jail and it saved my life."
ALSO READ | Centers for Disease Control releases controversial opioid guidelines
Miller received help from Fairbanks Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center in Indianapolis.
"There's a lot of attention given to no pain and stopping pain and using painkillers to stop chronic pain, and as we know now through tons of research, it actually makes pain worse," said Toby Linton, director of clinical services at Fairbanks.
This week, a Los Angeles Times investigation into the maker of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, claimed the manufacturer pushed a dosing regimen that put profits over people's health.
READ MORE | Report claims OxyContin dangers are understated
Miller, a mother of five, is now working as a project specialist with the Indiana Addictions Issues Coalition. One of her daughters is also in recovery.
Gov. Mike Pence has weighed in on the fight against opioid addiction, sending a letter to Indiana's congressional delegation as the U.S. House takes up new measures. The letter says Indiana "recognizes that this issue is large in scope and severe in its impact on the lives of our citizens."
Click the map below to explore drug overdose data for all 92 counties in Indiana:
