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DrugScreening.org


 
Prescription Drugs Blamed for Rising Overdose Deaths
February 22, 2008

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News Summary

Unintentional poisoning deaths rose from 12,186 in 1999 to 20,950 in 2004, and the increase is largely being attributed to overdoses on prescription drugs, the Los Angeles Times reported Jan. 26.

Ninety-five percent of unintentional poisoning deaths are drug overdoses; in recent years, prescription-drug overdoses have overtaken cocaine and heroin overdoses as the leading cause of poisoning deaths, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. In fact, a recent spike in prescription-drug overdoses is the cause of the first increase in the nation's injury death rate in 25 years, according to CDC injury-prevention expert Len Paulozzi.

Most overdose deaths are due to opioid painkillers like oxycodone, fentanyl, and methadone. But other prescription drugs also can cause fatal overdoses, such as sleeping pills, antidepressants, and tranquilizers. Overdoses from the latter group of drugs increased 84 percent between 1999 and 2004, the CDC said.

Overall, sales of prescription drugs have increased almost 500 percent since 1990.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by Bonnie B on 12 Aug 08 01:28 PM EDT
The time has come to stop this madness of using opiods as if they were aspirin. We, the people, control the flow of prescription drugs - by using them or not using them. Supply and demand - it's that simple. The pharmaceutical companies will always, and gladly supply us with their deadly drugs, if there is money to be made - and there is - LOTS of it! Doctors act as "middlemen" - overprescribing these drugs because of ignorance, apathy, or pressure and "freebies" from companies. We are the ones who must protect our children and seniors from abusing these drugs by simply NOT having them in our medicine cabinets or not accepting them from our doctors unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. WE decide. I liken these drugs to "lethal weapons" and to make them available to children could be construed as "negligence" or worse. And lawsuits will become the norm when it's your son who got his Oxy from his friend's parents' house and then died of an accidental overdose - and you need someone to blame. And isn't it sad, that it has to come to that before we actually start DOING something about this epidemic, which we OURSELVES have created??!!

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