DM- The drugs that kill Americans: How half of the 80,000 ....MEDICINES

[edgarshade]

The drugs that kill Americans: How half of the 80,000 overdoses a year are caused by MEDICINES

PUBLISHED: 14:41, 24 April 2013

With reader comments

Around half of the 80,000 deaths a year attributed to drug overdoses in America are caused by medication, new figures suggest today. They also show that the rate of all drug overdoses in the U.S. has more than than doubled over the last decade. A database maintained by the National Center for Health Statistics keeps a tally of all deaths listed on certificates, which are required by law to include an underlying cause.

More...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-000-deaths-year-unintentional-medicines.html

 

[S.J.B.]

I call bullshit on the alcohol overdose deaths. Whenever people take multiple drugs and overdose, all the drugs that contributed are listed (e.g. a benzodiazepine and an opioid). However, it appears that overdose deaths involving alcohol and opioids are being counted only as opioid deaths. I can't find any statistics that show what proportion of opioid users who die by overdose have alcohol in their system, but it has got to a be a significant fraction.

 

[opi8]

As above, how many of these are combinations? Are all drugs counted? Eg: Someone has some beer, oxycodone, xanax, pot and then shoots heroin and dies, are all of the drugs in his system added to the list above? Is that an intentional overdose for the alcohol, pharms, oxy and xanax? Who's to know unless there's a suicide note?

Only pharms have intent? Is that bias intentional?

 

[23536]

Only pharms have intent? Is that bias intentional?

There seem to be 3 stripes for every substance listed.

Though I wonder: who uses cocaine for suicide? Seems like an inefficient and agonizing way to die.

 

[Crankinit]

Though I wonder: who uses cocaine for suicide? Seems like an inefficient and agonizing way to die.

Pretty sure it's all deaths, not just suicides.