The annual death toll from overdoses of painkillers has reached almost 15,000, prompting the head of the CDC to term it an “epidemic.” But the American Pain Foundation continues to claim the risks are overblown. The advocacy group’s biggest supporter? The drug industry.
Following an series of articles in the Seattle Times drawing attention to the high death rate among patients taking methadone. Washington state will issue a public health advisory that singles out the unique risks of methadone, a commonly prescribed pain medicine that’s linked to the most accidental overdose deaths.
There were 59 homicides in King County last year, the lowest number in a decade. The number deaths due to suicide, traffic accidents and overdoses also fell.
“Pain encompasses the entire person. It’s not just in your leg or back. It encompasses the entire being of who you are and what you can do and don’t do. So physically, mentally psychologically: you have to take care of all of those things.”
FDA estimates that more than 33 million Americans age 12 and older misused extended-release and long-acting opioids during 2007—up from 29 million just five years earlier. One survey found more than half of opioid abusers got the drug from a friend or relative.
Some doctors are asking pain patients to sign “pain contracts” that spell out the rules patients must follow in order to obtain a prescription for opioid medications.
Seattle Times investigates deaths in adult family homes. New state pain medicine prescription rules stir controversy.
Overdose involving prescription pain medicines has surpassed automobile crashes as the leading cause of injury death in the state for residents ages 35 to 54.
Patients on highest doses were nine times more likely to overdose than those on lowest doses
More than half of drug-related deaths in King County last year involved the use of prescription opiate drugs that are most often prescribed for pain control, according to a new report. Often the drugs are obtained without a prescription. The annual report was put together by the Community Epidemiology Work Group. a collaboration of public [...]
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
Enter your email address below to receive updates each time we publish new content.
Seattle Times Health News
Experts divided over recommendation to screen children for cholesterol
Some clinicians say universal screening is an important tool to help identify children who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and to pinpoint others who could benefit from treatment. Others express concerns that screening may do more harm than good.
People in state high-risk insurance plans often feel left behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Peeking in on your doctor’s notes
Although federal law guarantees patients the right to examine and get copies of their medical records, providers haven’t always made it easy to do so. But the movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam, and policymakers have encouraged it as a way to empower patients to help manage their health and their medical care.
Add to Google
Recent Comments