Opioid Overdose Triples

The Centers for Disease Conntrol and Prevention (CDC) issued a very disturbing report yesterday in regard to deaths from opioid use. Opioids are the narcotic pain medications that include Vicodin, Lortabs, morphine, oxycodone, OxyContin, and methadone. They are used for pain relief and are all highly addicting. As I have said before the abuse of these drugs is growing faster than any other drugs of abuse. I have talked about the high risk of fatal overdoses in these medications which many people see as "safer" than cocaine and other drugs but I did not realize how bad the problem had gotten until this CDC report was relesaed.

The number of fatal overdoses from opioid medications has tripled sine 1999. Tripled. That's amazingly disturbing. Drug overdoses are now the second leading cause of injury death and in the 35-54 year age group the leading cause surpassing motor vehicle deaths! I did not know this.
It turns out that in half of those overdoses were accompanied by other drug use, particularly the benzodiazepines.

Thought for the day.

Used properly the opiods are wonderful to have for pain treatment. Used improperly they are poisons.