The prescription Pain Pill Epidemic

Illicit street drugs where once the major cause of death by drug overdose

, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports a new epidemic at hand-prescription pain pill overdoses.

The CDC reports that overdoses from prescription painkillers such as methadone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone have reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. Reports taken in 2008 show that an estimated 15,000 people died in the U.S. from a prescription pain pill overdose, more than those killed fromstreet heroin and cocaine combined. Further, this number represents three times as many deaths than in 1999 from prescription painkillers; the use and abuse is on the rise.

Alarmingly, this epidemic does not represent only the adult population. The CDC reports that 1 in 20 Americans, ages 12 and older, are using prescription pain medication non-medically or without a prescription simply to get high. Teens are stealing pills from their parents and other family members prescription bottles. If you have been prescribed a narcotic by your physician, please be sure to keep it locked in a safe place where your child or teen cannot access it.

Prescription pain pills have become so popular that there is a black market on the street for them. These pills are now just as easy to buy on the street without a prescription as cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs on the street.

Prescription narcotics such as methadone, hydrocodone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone can be very dangerous if not taken according to the prescription. People seeking new ways to get high have begun to crush these drugs and snort them, smoke them, and inject them like cocaine, heroin and other street drugs to get high. Since many of these drugs are opium based, they can have the same addictive effects as heroin and morphine and cause the same kinds of health issues, including death.

Health issues that can stem from prescription drug abuse include: infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS; hepatitis; organ diseases and organ failure including liver, kidney, heart and lungs; pneumonia and other respiratory complications; pregnancy complications and damage to the fetus; and risk of accidental overdose resulting in death.

If you are abusing prescription pain medicine, find a drug and alcohol treatment center today that specializes in neuroscience technology and integrated care. An advanced treatment center with modern brain scan technology and integrated support services can provide you with a personalized program that addresses your physical, emotional, psychological, and neurological needs for a complete and sustainable recovery. Stop hurting yourself and those who love you. Reclaim your life!

by: Larry A Burns

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