Unintentional poisoning deaths from prescription drugs have been on the rise for years, and hospitalizations due to overdoses of prescription opioids, sedatives and tranquilizers increased 65 percent from 1999-2006, according to a report published in the May 2010 American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Researchers from West Virginia University School of Medicine analyzed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, which includes data for about 8 million hospitalizations per year. Hospital admissions for opioids (morphine, OxyContin, etc.), sedatives and tranquilizers (Valium, Xanax, etc.) increased from about 43,000 to 71,000 during the seven-year study period.
“Deaths and hospitalizations associated with prescription drug misuse have reached epidemic proportions,” said the study’s lead author, Jeffrey H. Coben, M.D., of the West Virginia University (WVU) School of Medicine, in a WVU press release. “It is essential that health care providers, pharmacists, insurance providers, state and federal agencies, and the general public all work together to address this crisis.”
“Prescription medications are just as powerful and dangerous as other notorious street drugs, and we need to ensure people are aware of these dangers and that treatment services are available for those with substance abuse problems,” he continued.
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