Overdose deaths in United States hit record high

Drug overdose deaths surged in 14 states a year ago, pushing the nation to a record count, according to a government report released Friday.

The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report revealed that between 2000 and 2014 a stunning 500,000 people have died as a result of drug overdoses, with substances like heroin and prescription drugs playing a big role.

West Virginia, New Mexico, Kentucky, New Hampshire and OH were the states with the highest overdose death rates, the report noted. In 2014 alone, drug overdoses killed more than 47,000 people-a 7% increase from the previous year-and the most of any year on the CDC’s record.

Many of these deaths are from opioid abuse.

According to the Chron, But this highly unusual move – the CDC rarely advises physicians on medications, a job formally assigned to the Food and Drug Administration – thrust the agency into the middle of a longstanding fight over the use of opioids, a powerful but highly addictive class of pain medications that rang up over $9 billion in sales past year, according to IMS Health. Before, the growing trend for overdose death was related to misuse and overuse of opioid.

Drug overdose deaths increased 137 percent since 2000, hitting an all-time high in 2014. “The opioid epidemic is devastating American families and communities”.

Heroin overdoses in particular have climbed dramatically-more than tripling in the past four years. Opioid overdose deaths increased 14 percent from 2013 to 2014. CDC believes that the health professionals must be equipped with more resources and tools, as well as be more capable to give better prescription guidelines, to help patients make more informed decisions. “This report also shows how important it is that law enforcement intensify efforts to reduce the availability of heroin, illegal fentanyl, and other illegal opioids”. Most heroin usersinitially start by using prescription painkillers.

Recommendations ranged from working to better track prescriptions, and marking the overdose antidote drug, known as Narcan, more widely available. “In addition, efforts are needed to protect persons already dependent on opioids from overdose and other harms”. The worst thing to note is that opioids are involved in 61% of all drug overdose deaths, which is highly prescribed by doctors. The new report, however, suggested that heroin-related death had something to do with the drug’s accessibility.