Alabama drug overdose deaths up almost 20 percent past year

In total, a little more than 47,000 people died a year ago from drug overdoses.

The report also highlighted the increase in the number of deaths involving illicitly made fentanyl, which is often marketed as heroin or added to heroin. Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, North Dakota, New Mexico, Alabama, and Georgia all saw “statistically significant drug overdose death rates” from 2013 to 2014. Providing health care professionals with additional tools and information-including safer guidelines for prescribing these drugs-can help them make more informed prescribing decisions.

According to the CDC, widespread availability of illegally produced synthetic opioids and inadequate treatment programs are to blame for the “worsening” epidemic. “It crosses all demographic, geographic and political lines”, Snyder said in October.

The CDC found most overdoses were with heroin and prescription painkillers.

Drug overdose deaths were classified using the International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), based on the ICD-10 underlying cause-of-death codes X40-44 (unintentional), X60-64 (suicide), X85 (homicide), or Y10-Y14 (undetermined intent).

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Jane Ballantyne, MD, of the University of Washington, agreed that the increase in illicit fentanyl is a contributor, as is the price drop in other illicit opioids such as black-tar heroin from Mexico. “That’s not appropriate, that’s catastrophic”.

The biggest increase in deaths was from from synthetic opioids, which went up 80%. That’s the most reported in the nation since at least 1970, according to CDC records.

Prescription painkillers such as oxycodone and morphine are derived from the same poppy plants as heroin. People with the highest risk of using heroin are those who became dependent or who abused prescription opioids during the past year. It also suggested they only prescribe the smallest supply of the drugs possible, usually three days or less for acute pain, the AP points out. Using these drugs results in an increased tolerance to pain and a sense of euphoria.

The United States is experiencing an epidemic of drug overdose (poisoning) deaths, according to the CDC.

More than 60 percent of those deaths involved opioids – and the epidemic doesn’t discriminate against age or race.