U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Hit ‘Alarming’ New Record: CDC

Deaths from drug overdoses have surged across the USA to record levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“More persons died from drug overdoses in United States in 2014 than during any previous year on record”.

Opioids, which are primarily prescription pain relief drugs and heroine, counted for 28,647 deaths in 2014, according to the report.

According to Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC director, the increased death rates due to opioid overdose is now alarming and it continues to create damage to communities and families in the United States. It’s an epidemic that claimed the lives of more than 47,000 Americans.

The highest rates of death from overdose were seen in West Virginia, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Kentucky, and OH, the CDC report said.

Both drugs work in similar ways, and when addicts are unable to get prescription medications to feed their habit, many turn to heroin, which is often cheap and accessible. New Hampshire, which is battling a severe epidemic of heroin usage, saw a 73.5 percent increase in deaths from 2013 to 2014.

The switch to heroin is fueled by the increased availability of heroin, its relatively low price compared to prescription narcotics and the high purity of the heroin being sold, the researchers reported. In addition, some have also proposed expanded availability and wider access to naloxone-an antidote for opioid-related overdoses. From 2000 to 2014, almost half a million Americans died from drug poisoning. Other opioids like methadone accounted for 9 percent of deaths, while heroin was responsible for 26 percent. MI ranks 10th nationally in per capita prescription rates of opioid pain relievers and 18th in the nation for all overdose deaths.

Because it is the most populous state, California led the way with the most overdose deaths over all with 4,500, with OH coming in second at 2,700.

The CDC analyzed recent mortality data from the National Vital Statistics System to track trends and characteristics of the crisis, including the types of drugs associated with these cases.

The health agency has also provided guidelines for general practitioners that urge them to be more cautious about the medications they prescribe for chronic pain.

The report says: “There is a need for continued action to prevent opioid abuse, dependence, and death, improve treatment capacity for opioid use disorders, and reduce the supply of illicit opioids, particularly heroin and illicit fentanyl”.