CDC: Prescription painkiller overdoses at epidemic levels

[The Lawspeaker]

CDC: Prescription painkiller overdoses at epidemic levels

The death toll from overdoses of prescription painkillers has more than tripled in the past decade, according to an analysis in the CDC Vital Signs report released Nov. 1 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This new finding shows that more than 40 people die every day from overdoses involving narcotic pain relievers like hydrocodone (Vicodin), methadone, oxycodone (OxyContin), and oxymorphone (Opana).

“Overdoses involving prescription painkillers are at epidemic levels and now kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined,” said CDC Director Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “States, health insurers, health care providers and individuals have critical roles to play in the national effort to stop this epidemic of overdoses while we protect patients who need prescriptions to control pain. ”

The increased use of prescription painkillers for nonmedical reasons (without a prescription for the high they cause), along with growing sales, has contributed to the large number of overdoses and deaths. In 2010, 1 in every 20 people in the United States age 12 and older — a total of 12 million people — reported using prescription painkillers nonmedically according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Based on the data from the Drug Enforcement Administration, sales of these drugs to pharmacies and health care providers have increased by more than 300 percent since 1999.

“Prescription drug abuse is a silent epidemic that is stealing thousands of lives and tearing apart communities and families across America, ” said Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy.

The prescription painkiller death rates among non–Hispanic whites and American Indians/Alaska Natives were three times those of blacks and Hispanic whites. In addition, the death rate was highest among persons aged 35–54 years. Overdose resulted in 830,652 years of potential life lost before age 65 years, a number comparable to the years of potential life lost from motor vehicle crashes and much higher than the years of potential life lost due to homicide.

For the analysis, CDC reviewed state data on fatal drug overdoses, nonmedical use of prescription painkillers, and sales of prescription painkillers to pharmacies and health care providers.

The study found:

State death rates from overdoses (from 2008 data) ranged from a high of 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people in New Mexico to a low of 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people in Nebraska.

Nonmedical use of prescription painkillers ranged from a high of 1 in 12 people aged 12 and older in Oklahoma to a low of 1 in 30 in Nebraska. States with more nonmedical use tend to have more deaths from drug overdoses.

Prescription painkiller sales per person were more than three times higher in the highest state, Florida, than in the lowest state, Illinois. States with higher sales per person tend to have higher death rates from drug overdose.

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[SwordoftheVistula]

The people on painkillers are even worse than crackheads

[Breedingvariety]

The people on painkillers are even worse than crackheads

How come?

[Money Shot]

How come?

They make it really difficult for people who ligitimately need painkillers to get them.

[SwordoftheVistula]

How come?

Just personal observations, the pillheads are even bigger junkies with worse behavior, stealing etc, than the crackheads.

Also, I guess it leads some people into heroin. We never had heroin in southern/eastern Ohio back in the 90s when I lived there, now it's all over the place, apparently because people get addicted to painkillers and then use heroin as a cheap substitute when they run out of money for pills.

[Breedingvariety]

Just personal observations, the pillheads are even bigger junkies with worse behavior, stealing etc, than the crackheads.

Also, I guess it leads some people into heroin. We never had heroin in southern/eastern Ohio back in the 90s when I lived there, now it's all over the place, apparently because people get addicted to painkillers and then use heroin as a cheap substitute when they run out of money for pills.

My brothers friend is heroin/ painkiller pills addict. He has taken many loans from banks and people and my brother. Now he has disappeared in London.