Prescription Drug Deaths Doubles: More People Addicted to Prescription Drugs

A recent report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) showed that for the last three years, prescription drug deaths have risen 114%, causing many to question the effectiveness of warnings about prescription drug abuse.

“Unfortunately, there is not enough information about the dangers of prescription drug abuse,” comments Mary Rieser, executive Director for the Atlanta Recovery Center. “The rate of abuse of central nervous system (CNS) depressants, such as Valium and Xanax, prescription stimulants, such as Adderall and Ritalin, and prescription painkillers, such as OxyContin, Percocet, and Loritab, is increasing much faster than the rate of abuse of illegal street drugs.

“People often feel that since it is stored in a medicine cabinet and not hidden away, it is safe. The term ‘medicine’ implies ‘healing’ yet many people don’t realize that these medicines, when abused, can lead to serious medical conditions, drug addiction, and death.”

Further, the number of treatment admissions for prescription painkillers as the primary drug of abuse increased 74 percent from 46,115 in 2002 to 80,131 in 2006, the most recent data available, according to the SAMHSA Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

Drug companies have come under increasing scrutiny for mis-representation of the actual addictive qualities of many prescription drugs, such as Purdue Pharma and OxyContin.

Even with public and private concerns, approximately 6.9 million individuals aged 12 or older were current (past month) nonmedical users of prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs (opioid pain relievers, tranquilizers, sedatives, or stimulants) during 2007, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).

“It’s time we teach more people about the dangers of prescription drug abuse,” comments Ms. Rieser. “Teach our children and get those needing help into drug rehab.”