CDC-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The unintentional poisoning deaths have increased from 12,000 to 20,000 between 1999 and 2004. It has exceeded overdoses of cocaine and heroin combined. Most are due to opioid painkillers, sleeping pills, antidepressants, and tranquilizers. Pharmaceutical companies advertising is persuading people to buy prescription drugs for all their ailments. Prescription drugs are far too easy to obtain. CDC and FDA will work together to support research into preventing adults’ unintentional drug overdoses. CDC will provide $350,000 a year for two years to support this.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5605a1.htm
FDA-Food and Drug Administration
Safety of prescription drugs is based on the idea that a person is using the drug as it was prescribed by the doctor. It is important for a doctor and patient to discuss if they have had a substance abuse problem in the past before a prescription medication is started. Prescription drugs should not be stopped without the doctor’s approval because they could lead to withdrawal symptoms.
http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/501_drug.html
NIDA-National Institute on Drug Abuse
There is a growing concern about the non-medical use of prescription drugs among ages 18-25. An increase was seen from 5.4 in 2002 to 6.4 in 2006. Painkillers, Vicodin and OxyContin are major contributors to this increase. In 2006 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) did a survey and found that an estimated 7 million people or 2.8% of the population 12 years and older had used prescription psychotherapeutic medications non-medically.
Drug cravings (addictions) are uncommon among those who take the medication as prescribed. It’s when they start taking more than is necessary that the problem arises. The development of physical dependence does not always lead to addiction. This organization is looking into research about why people become addicted.
http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/nationtrends.html
http://www.nida.nih.gov/infofacts/PainMed.html
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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12,000 to 20,000 in five years!!? that's crazy! there needs to be more supervision on people taking these drugs and in a perfect world, there would be people with the people taking these drugs to put the drugs away (where the people who had taken the drug couldn't be able to access it) after they had taken their prescribed dose..
ReplyDeleteWow! Those are some astounding statistics! Excellent info and blog page. Thanks for bringing awareness to this issue!
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ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this information. I am always looking out to prescription drugs
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