Methadone Deaths Still On The Rise

Accidental deaths. These words conjure images of car crashes or kitchen mishaps.

And yes, automobile accidents still lead the list of causes of accidental deaths. But it is followed close behind by drug overdoses. 

What drug tops the chart as causing the most accidental deaths? Some would think heroin, maybe cocaine. While these do contribute to their share of accidental deaths, the number one drug killer in the US? Methadone.

Narconon Drug Rehab GA warns that improper prescriptions and abuse of methadone can be life threatening.

"If Methadone is mixed with alcohol or other drugs, death can occur," comments Mary Rieser, Executive Director for Narconon Drug Rehab GA. "The respiratory system is depressed, and further drugs can result in death. Many people who have taken Methadone to get high take far too much, because it takles such a long time to create an effect on them. So they take more, often to a lethal dose."

The CDC recently rated Methadone as being the fastest growing cause of accidental poisoning deaths:

From 1999 to 2005, poisoning deaths increased 66 percent from 19,741 to 32,691 deaths, whereas the number of poisoning deaths mentioning methadone increased 468 percent to 4,462. Poisoning deaths mentioning methadone increased from 4 percent of all poisoning deaths to 14 percent of all poisoning deaths. Most recently, all poisoning deaths increased 8 percent from 2004 to 2005, whereas those mentioning methadone increased 16 percent.

Since 1999, between 73 and 80 percent of poisoning deaths mentioning methadone have been classified as unintentional (3,701 such deaths in 2005), with an additional 11 to 13 percent being of undetermined intent, 5 to 7 percent as suicides, less than 1 percent as homicides, and about 1 percent were injuries other than poisoning. Over this same period, 3 to 6 percent of deaths where methadone was mentioned were not coded as injury deaths.

"Be careful of taking any prescription drug without thoroughly understanding the side effects," comments Ms. Rieser.  "Side effects are at best uncomfortable, potentially at risk for drug addiction, and at worst deadly."

Please call if you know someone in need of effective rehab.

Call Narconon Drug Rehab in Georgia at 1-877-413-3073 .
      
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