New research from the University of Buffalo found that prescription opioids are causing people to become addicted to street drugs like heroin and cocaine. Once addicted, almost all of the patients prescribed opioids wind up transitioning to drugs like heroin simply because they are generally cheaper and can be more readily accessible.
Of 75 patients hospitalized at the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, New York, for detoxification, more than 41 percent told their physicians that they became addicted to street drugs after being prescribed prescription opioids like methadone, oxycodone, and fentanyl. Ninety-two percent of all patients in the treatment program said the use of the prescription opioids actually led them to use street drugs.
"This information suggests that there is a progressive nature to opioid use, and that prescription opioids can be the gateway to illicit drug addiction," said Richard Blondell, M.D., professor of family medicine and the author of the study.
