Prescription Drug Addiction

STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE U.S. PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION EPIDEMIC :

The abuse of pharmaceutical drugs, despite law enforcements best efforts to control and deter, continues to rise at an exponential rate in the US.

The abuse of prescription drugs is the No. 2 drug problem in the country, trailing only the use of marijuana, according to the federal Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Prescription drug abuse now outranks the use of all illegal drugs combined, coming in second only to marijuana use.

The most commonly abused pharmaceutical drugs include oxycontin, hydrocodone, methadone, diazepam, Lortab and Xanax.

It is estimated that in 1999, 4 million people were currently using prescription drugs non-medically in the US.

17 million Americans, ages 12 and up, report having used prescription drugs painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, or stimulants for non medical purposes during the past year.

(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)

The DEA Office of Diversion Control reports the sale of the painkiller oxycodone in the United States increased nearly nine times from 1996 to 2006. Sales of hydrocodone more than tripled during the same period.

THE U.S. PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION EPIDEMIC IS DEADLY:

In 2005, 33,000 Americans died from prescription drug overdoses. That's a 60 percent increase from deaths reported in 2000.

Prescription drug overdose is now the second leading cause of accidental death in the United States. Motor vehicle deaths are first. In the 45-54 age group, accidental drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of death.

(National Centre for Injury Prevention and Control.)

THE U.S. PRESCRIPTION DRUG ADDICTION EPIDEMIC IS COSTLY:

Drug Abuse related emergency room visits involving prescription opioids (painkillers) rose 153 percent from 1995 to 2002.

(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.)

The number of opioid prescriptions escalated from nearly 40 million in 1991 to 180 million in 2007. That is an increase of 350 percent when the population increased by only 19 percent.

(National Institute on Drug Abuse.)

The total number of stimulant prescriptions in the U.S. has soared from around 5 million in 1991 to nearly 35 million in 2007. (1)

Prescriptions for opiates (hydrocodone and oxycodone products) have escalated from around 40 million in 1991 to nearly 180 million in 2007 with the U.S. their biggest consumer. (1)

The U.S. is supplied and consumes 99 percent of the world total for hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin) and 71 percent of oxycodone (e.g., OxyContin). (1)

(1. The NSDUH Report: Patterns and Trends in Nonmedical Prescription Pain Reliever Use: 2002 to 2005, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, 2007. )