IndiaPost.com - Drug overdose 'single largest cause of deaths in the US'

MIAMI: Just make it a point to consult a doctor the next time you pop a painkiller -- an overdose could be fatal.

In fact, drug overdose has surpassed drunken driving as the single largest cause of "unintentional injury" deaths in the US, according to the National Safety Council. And, what's actually surprising is that prescription painkillers account for much of the problem.

"In 2006, an estimated 24,000 people died in the US from unintentional drug overdoses, which represents a 100 per cent increase since 2000.

"Drug overdoses have now surpassed drunken driving as the single largest cause of unintentional injury death in America," President Janet Froetscher told a gathering at NSC's 96th Annual Congress.

Identifying unintentional drug overdoses and elderly falls as two most significant home and community safety issues leading to the increase in deaths, she cited a 2005 study from the Centers for Disease Control.

The study had revealed that 50 cent of the 22,400 fatal drug overdoses that year were from prescription and over-the-counter medication, 39 per cent of deaths were from illegal drugs and 11 per cent from unknown drugs.

A recent survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAM-SHA) also found that 10.8 million people, aged 18 and older, used a prescription painkiller for non-medical purposes within the past year.

However, Froestcher said that contrary to the popular perception that teenagers were the most affected group, the biggest rise in those accidental overdosing was among men and women of working age, between 20 and 64.

The most rapid growth in number of these deaths during the past decade occurred in 45 to 64 year-olds followed by 25-44 and then 15-24 age groups.

Among those who used the painkillers for non-medical purposes, 60 per cent got them from a friend or relative, she said.