In what can be termed as the nation’s fastest growing drug problem, a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals a rapid spurt in fatalities resulting from the abuse of prescription pain drugs.
In addition, emergency room visits from the abuse of prescriptions have become as common as those from illegal drugs.
The dangerous trend is cause for concern with health experts worrying over its adverse impact on public health.
CDC Director Thomas Frieden stated, “We urgently need to take action. Emergency department visits involving non-medical use of these prescription drugs are now as common as emergency department visits for use of illicit drugs. These prescriptions medicines help many people, but we need to be sure they are used properly and safely.”
The highest abused prescription pain drugs were oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone, all of which showed statistically significant increases during the 5-year period.
Analysis of data from DAWN
The study projects the national estimates from a sample of about 220 hospitals with 24-hour emergency departments.
The study also analyzed data provided by SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), a public health information system that examined ED visits for non-medical use of prescription drugs.
According to official sources, there were two million visits to the ED in 2008 for misuse and abuse of all drugs.
These included nearly a million visits for illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin and almost the same number for non-medical use of prescription or over-the-counter drugs.
This report found that the approximate number of ED visits for nonmedical use of opioid analgesics increased 111percent during 2004--2008 (from 144,600 to 305,900 visits) and increased 29 percent during 2007—2008.
The most abused prescription drugs
The highest abused prescription pain drugs were oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone, all of which showed statistically significant increases during the 5-year period.
The emergency visits due to nonmedical use of oxycodone increased by 152 percent over the time frame while that of hydrocodone rose by 123 percent increase and that of methadone exhibited a 73 percent increase.
The report also found that ED visits involving misuse of anti-anxiety drugs such as Valium, Klonopin, Ativan and Xanax, increased 89 percent from 2004 to 2008 (from 143,500 to 271,700 visits) and 24 percent during 2007-2008.
The report found that peak rates for opioids and benzodiazepines abuse was among the 21-24 and 25-29 age groups.
The CDC report stated, “These increases in nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals
suggest that previous prevention measures, such as provider and patient education and restrictions on use of specific formulations, have not been adequate.
“Given the societal burden of the problem, additional interventions are urgently needed, such as more systematic provider education, universal use of state prescription drug monitoring programs by providers, the routine monitoring of insurance claims information for signs of inappropriate use and efforts by providers and insurers to intervene when patients use drugs inappropriately.”
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