A new study suggests that deaths from accidental overdoses of prescription medications in the U.S. are on the rise, U.S. News and World Report reported Dec. 9.

The study, which focused on accidental deaths in the state of West Virginia, also reported a pattern of "doctor shopping" for painkillers, as well as deaths from medications that were not used as prescribed.

"This epidemic of prescription drug overdose involves a substantial amount of substance abuse, and it affects not just West Virginia, but particularly rural areas of the country," said lead study author Aron Hall of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who called West Virginia "just the tip of the iceberg."

The study reported that 67.1 percent of West Virginia's 295 fatal overdose victims in 2006 were men, and 91.9 percent were between the ages of 18 and 54. About 63 percent of the victims did not have a prescription for painkillers.

The researchers noted that women doctor-shopped more than men and said that younger people were more likely to use painkillers for non-medical reasons. Opioids accounted for 93.2 percent of the deaths, with methadone responsible for 40 percent of these fatalities.

"Opiates are generally very safe if used appropriately, but opiate abuse and dependence is an illness with high mortality rates," said Adam Bisaga, an associate professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. "So the issue is not with the medication, but rather the detection and treatment of those who abuse and become addicted to opiates."

The report is published in the Dec. 10, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.