Painkiller deaths reach ‘epidemic’ proportions in the U.S.
By Liz Lockhart
An analysis released this week states that the death toll from overdoses of prescriptions painkillers in the 
U.S. has more than tripled in the last ten years.
The new report from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) says that more than 40 people die every day from overdoses involving prescription narcotic pain relief.
CDC Director Thomas Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. said ‘Overdoses involving prescription painkillers are at epidemic levels and now kill more Americans than heroin and cocaine combined.’
Frieden also notes that the contributory factors to this large number of overdoses and deaths are the increased use of prescriptions painkillers for non-medical reasons along with growing sales.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, one in every twenty people in the United States aged 12 or older (a total of 12 million people) reported using prescription painkillers non-medically in the year 2010. The sale of these drugs to pharmacies and health care providers has increased by over 300% since 1999.
Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy said ‘Prescription drug abuse is a silent epidemic that is stealing thousands of lives and tearing apart communities and families across America.’
She added ‘Health care providers and patients should be educated on the risks of prescription painkillers. And parents and grandparents can take time today to properly dispose of any unneeded or expired medications from the home and to talk to their kids about the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs.’
The American administration released a comprehensive action plan to address the national prescription drug abuse epidemic last April. This was titles ‘Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis’. The plan includes support for the expansion of state-by-state prescription drug monitoring programmes. It also includes convenient and environmentally responsible disposal methods for unused medications, education for patients and healthcare providers, and support for law enforcement efforts which reduce the rising numbers of ‘pill mills’ and doctor shopping.
Nearly all states have implemented this state-based monitoring programme with 48 states monitoring doctor shopping CDC officials said that the Department of Justice has conducted a series of takedowns of rogue pain clinics which operate as ‘pill mills’. Additionally according to CDC officials, more than 300 tons of unneeded or expired prescription drugs has been collected over the past year.
Pamela S. Hyde, Administrator at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, said ‘Almost 5,500 people start to misuse prescription painkillers every day. Just like other public epidemics, community-based prevention can be a proven life-saving and cost-effective key to breaking the trend and restoring health and wellbeing.’
The CDC reviewed state data on fatal drug overdoses, non-medical use of prescription painkillers, and sales of prescription painkillers to pharmacies and health care providers.
Source: U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
