Friday, July 5, 2013

Pain pills, women and death

New CDC Vital Signs: Prescription Painkiller Epidemic Among Women



This article reminds us of the risk from prescription painkiller overdoses.
Here are some sobering data:
*While men are more likely to die of a prescription painkiller overdose, the percentage increase in deaths since 1999 was greater among women (400 percent in women compared to 265 percent in men). *Prescription painkiller overdoses killed nearly 48,000 women between 1999 and 2010.
*About 42 women die every day from a drug overdose (including those from prescription painkillers). *Since 2007, more women have died from drug overdoses than from motor vehicle crashes.
*More than 940,000 women were seen in emergency departments for drug misuse or abuse in 2010.
*Prescription painkillers have been a major contributor to increases in drug overdose deaths among women.
*More than 6,600 women died from a prescription painkiller overdose in 2010. This is about 18 women a day; which accounts for nearly half of all drug overdoses that happen each day among women.
*In 2010, there were more than 200,000 emergency department visits for opioid misuse or abuse among women; about one every three minutes.

The authors suggest that we steps to protect against prescription painkiller overdoses and follow guidelines for responsible opioid prescribing (including screening and monitoring for substance abuse and mental health problems).


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