Drug overdoses from pharmaceuticals surprising
Lewis DiuguidMore than 38,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States in 2010, more than in previous years, and the uptick is attributed to prescription painkillers.
The National Center for Health Statistics research showed that 57 percent of the overdoses, or about 22,000, inovlved known prescription drugs in 2010, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Three-quarters involved painkillers such as Oxycontin and Percocet and 9,400 some unidentified drug cocktail. That’s a far cry from baby-boomers’ so-called “recreational drugs” from decades past.
As boomers age and health problems mount, the use and misuse of prescription painkillers will likely continue.
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