Prescription drug abuse deadlier than use of illegal drugs
A surge in methadone abuse in Florida matches a national trend that
also finds emergency visits for narcotic analgesics outnumbering visits
for heroin overdoses.
By
Andis Robeznieks, AMNews staff. Dec. 16, 2002.
Additional information
The abuse of prescription drugs is sending more people to the hospital
and, in Florida, more people are being sent to the morgue from
prescription drug overdoses than overdoses of cocaine and heroin,
according to reports from Florida medical examiners and the U.S. Dept. of
Health and Human Services.
Abuse of oxycodone and hydrocodone continues to rise, but a surge in
methadone abuse has health and law enforcement officials particularly
concerned. The Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement recently issued a public
alert to raise awareness of the fact that methadone-related deaths rose
31% (from 194 to 254) in the first six months of this year compared with
the last six months of 2001.
Between January and June of this year, the latest Drugs Identified in
Deceased Persons report from the Florida medical examiner shows that:
- Cocaine was present in 579 deaths, and listed as the cause in 180.
- Benzodiazepine was present in 734 deaths, and listed as the cause in
150.
- Methadone was present in 254 deaths, and listed as the cause in 133.
- Heroin was present in 141 deaths, and listed as the cause in 121.
- Oxycodone was present in 267 deaths, and listed as the cause in 112.
- Hydrocodone was present in 248 deaths, and listed as the cause in
61.
Although the number of deceased persons who had oxycodone or
hydrocodone in their systems increased, the number of times an overdose of
those drugs was seen as the cause of death decreased 20% and 14%.
Some officials think that the decrease of deaths tied to these
painkillers is linked to the increase in methadone deaths. "One theory is
that doctors may be prescribing more methadone because of the bad rap
oxycodone has been getting," said Vickie Marsey, a program administrator
for the FDLE's medical examiners commission.
Although there is no exact federal counterpart to Florida's medical
examiner's report, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration, an HHS agency, does compile similar statistics in its Drug
Abuse Warning Network report.
Florida is seeing more overdose deaths from prescription drugs than
from cocaine and heroin.
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In the DAWN report issued this fall, drug mentions were compiled from
458 emergency departments in 21 metropolitan areas in 2001.
"Our trends show that, in 2001, more people are showing up in emergency
rooms for narcotic analgesics than for heroin," said SAMHSA spokeswoman
Leah Young.
In 2001, the DAWN report estimated that 43% of the 1.1 million
emergency department drug mentions were a result of abusing legal
prescription or nonprescription medications. This included 135,949
mentions of anti-anxiety drugs, sedatives and hypnotics; 103,972 mentions
of benzodiazepine abuse; and 61,012 mentions of improper use of
antidepressants.
The number of benzodiazepine mentions increased more than 12% from
2000, and included a 16% increase in alprazolam drugs.
National figures on methadone appear to match those of Florida.
Emergency department mentions of that drug were up 37% from 2000 to 2001,
and have risen some 230% since 1994.
"The trend is definitely there," Young said, but she added that the
trend isn't uniform.
Methadone deaths rose 31% in Florida during the first six months of
2002.
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In the St. Louis and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, for example, she
said there were more deaths from narcotic analgesics than from heroin or
morphine; but in the Detroit, Seattle and Washington, D.C., areas, heroin
and morphine deaths were higher.
"It seems to be all over the map," Young said. "It seems to depend on
the city."
Although the news is grim, Marsey pointed to two positive items in the
Florida report: Heroin-related deaths decreased 15% and methylated
amphetamine-related deaths dropped 29%. In fact, of the 52 deaths in
Florida related to methylated amphetamines between January and June of
2002, the drug was considered the direct cause of only eight of those
deaths.
Although abuse of methylated amphetamines continues, Marsey said the
drug's users are becoming aware of how dangerous they can be.
"I heard that, among the youths who use these club drugs, they now know
the signs [of overdose], and don't leave their friends to die anymore,"
she said. "Now, they take them to the hospital."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Weblink
Report, "2002 Interim Report of Drugs Identified in Deceased Persons
by Florida Medical Examiners," Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement, in pdf
(http://www.fdle.state.fl.us/publications/examiner_drug_report_2002.pdf)
Press release from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration regarding release of 2001 Drug Abuse Warning Network report
(http://www.samhsa.gov/news/newsreleases/020821nr_dawn2001.htm)
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Copyright 2002 American Medical Association. All
rights reserved.
