On an ongoing basis, local and national news are reporting that drug overdoses and opioid deaths are continuing to increase in the United States. According to The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a majority of drug overdose deaths (more than six out of 10) involve an opioid. The number of Americans dying from an opioid overdose is now 91 per day.
An individual typically starts taking prescribed opioids after a fall, surgical procedure or injury to manage pain. The rate for prescription overdoses is alarming in that it has quadrupled since 1999, yet statistics show that Americans are not reporting more pain.
Common opioid drugs include:
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- Oxycodone
- Hydrocodone
- Methadone
- Fentanyl
Overdoses from prescription opioids are a contributing factor in the last 15 years for the increase in opioid overdose deaths. It is estimated that opioid misuse and overdose cost our national economy approximately $78 billion from higher healthcare costs (treatment, productivity loss, added criminal justice costs) just in 2013.
The chart below shows four risk areas in opioid abuse and misuse in managing pain:
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CDC has created a new program, Prescription Drug Overdose: Data-Driven Prevention Initiative (DDPI) and is awarding $18 million over a three-year project time frame to 13 states and the District of Columbia to assist in efforts to end the opioid overdose epidemic in the U.S.
Michigan is one of the selected states chosen to participate in advancing and evaluating actions to address opioid misuse, abuse, and overdose. That includes increasing the ability to:
- Enhance data analysis and collection of opioid:
- Abuse
- Misuse
- Overdose
- Create strategies that can have an impact on behaviors driving prescription opioid dependency abuse
- Help communities develop more complete opioid overdose prevention programs.
As the opioid epidemic grows, CDC will continue to provide expertise along with resources to address each states’ changes in needs with regards to this crisis. The CDC also has made available patient resource tools to provide educational materials along with patient fact sheets that practices can download.
Contributed by The Physician Alliance.
This blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Please consult your doctor for more information or if you have a medical concern.
Source: Centers for Disease Control-Understanding the epidemic/record overdose deaths, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-Opioid Misuse Strategy, Michigan Department of Human Services
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