U.S. officials: Rise In Prescription Painkiller

A new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed the number of emergency room visits due to nonmedical use of opioid  analgesics increased 111 percent, from 144,600 in 2004 to 305,900 in 2008.

“The spikes in prescription drug abuse rates captured by this study are dramatic, pervasive, and deeply disturbing,” said Gil Kerlikowske, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The report focused on data from 2004 to 2008, and revealed that there was a 111% increase in emergency room visits due to abuse of these prescription painkillers of opioid analgesics.

The three prescription opioid pain relievers most frequently involved in ED visits during the five-year period were:

• Oxycodone products: Visits rose 152 percent to 105,214.
• Hydrocodone products: Visits climbed 123 percent to 89,051.
• Methadone products: Visits increased 73 percent to 63,629.

Health care providers are prescribing these more powerful pain relievers at higher rates, she says. But there’s an inherent danger. Doctors aren’t given a lot of time to consult with patients, says Sabel. As a result, she says they may working with an incomplete account of what other medications the patient might be taking, or how those meds will interact with an opiate-based painkiller like Oxycontin.

Currently some 37 states have some form of monitoring, Glaser says, but they are inconsistent and lead to widespread abuse. He points to widespread practices such as:

• Easy access to prescription drugs through the Internet.
• Caravans of people crossing state lines – Florida is well known for its open-door clinics with easy access to drugs.
• Street sales fueled by lax oversight.
• Teens selling prescription drugs to each other.

The data released Thursday highlight “how serious a threat to public health we face from the abuse of prescription drugs,” said Gil Kerlikowske, National Drug Policy Director, in a statement. “The spikes in prescription drug abuse rates captured by this study are dramatic, pervasive, and deeply disturbing,” he adds.

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