Prescription Pain Reliever Abuse

Non medical use of prescription pain relievers rose 111 percent between 2004 and 2008 according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study showed that emergency-room visits increased from 144,644 in 2004 to 305,885 in 2008; the trend cut across age and gender lines. Oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone were the three most-abused drugs, rising 152 percent, 123 percent, and 73 percent, respectively, during the study time frame. ER visits for less-prescribed drugs, such as morphine, fentanyl, and hydromorphone were lower but still rose significantly. Treatment for hydromorphone abuse, for instance, rose 259 percent from 2004 to 2008. CDC director Thomas Frieden stated that "Emergency-department visits involving non-medical use of these prescription drugs are now as common as emergency-department visits for use of illicit drugs." ;More than 13,000 deaths involving opioids occur in the U.S. each year.