The Plight of Prescription Drugs

Written By Max Gibson

Initially created as suppressants for illness and disease, prescription drugs are currently responsible for over 15,000 deaths annually in America according to the Center for Disease and Control (CDC). A total three times higher than a decade ago, today more people die from prescription drug overdoses than from heroin and cocaine combined.

Tied to the increase in prescription drug overdoses is the proliferation of drugs that have been prescribed by doctors. While prescription drug abuse has become a critical issue throughout the U.S, the CDC reported that only 3% of the doctors in America are responsible for prescribing nearly 62% of painkillers every year. In the U.S, narcotic prescriptions are also three times higher than they were a decade ago. An immense total to consider, there are currently enough narcotics prescribed in America to medicate every citizen every day for an entire month.

At the center of the epidemic are prescription painkillers whose nonmedical usage by regular civilians has spurred the increase in overdoses. Notable painkillers such as hydrocodone (Vicodin), methadone, oxycodone (OxyContin), and oxymorphone (Opana) have been cited as responsible for the deaths of over 40 people a day from prescription drugs.

“Almost 5,500 people start to misuse prescription painkillers every day,” states Pamela S. Hyde, an Administrator from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Additionally, the National Survey of Drug Use and Health found that a total of 12 million people age 12 and older reported using prescription painkillers nonmedically; the statistic breaking down to approximately 1 in 20 people abusing narcotics annually.

Recent studies from the CDC have also revealed insights into the demographics most severely impacted by the epidemic. Death rates for prescription drug abuse for non-Hispanic whites and American Indians were three times as high as those for blacks and Hispanic whites. In addition, the death rate was highest among citizens aged 35-54.

According to the National Survey of Drug Abuse and Health, close to three out of four people abuse drugs that were initially prescribed to someone else. Known as “doctor shopping,” many abusers obtain prescriptions from multiple providers, allowing them to purchase the narcotics in higher amounts.

To combat the epidemic, the CDC recommends state run prescription drug monitoring programs. By creating electronic databases to track the prescribing and dispensing of controlled drugs to patients, the systems are designed to monitor prescription abuses that may lead to illegal drug use.

Nonetheless, the prescription drug epidemic has grown at a startling rate. In 2008, there were roughly 14,800 prescription drug deaths. Yet according to the CDC, for every one death there are 825 more nonmedical users who indulge in prescription drugs.