Deaths from overdoses on methadone rose 390 percent between 1999 and 2004, and the trend is continuing, according to a new report from the National Drug Intelligence Center.

USA Today reported Dec. 6 that the report attributes the trend mostly to increased use of methadone as a painkiller; the drug is seen as a cheaper alternative to drugs like OxyContin, which also have more potential for abuse and diversion. Doctors prescribed 715 percent more methadone in 2006 than they had in 2001.

The methadone overdose rate was highest among those ages 15 to 24; the rate was lower than that for other narcotic painkillers but is rising faster.

"The larger story is the widespread abuse of prescription painkillers in America," said Tom Riley of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. "The abuse and misuse of prescription drugs is far more dangerous and far more widespread than most Americans realize."