Saturday, April 9, 2011

Opiates Most Widely Prescribed Drugs in U.S.


Sound the alarm; it's a painkiller panic!  In the wake of the South Florida pain clinic scandal comes this timely account published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  

From Science Daily:

"Prescriptions for hydrocodone and oxycodone account for 84.9 percent of opioid prescriptions.  Over ten years, there has been a fivefold increase in admissions to substance abuse programs for opioid addiction.  Penn Medicine researchers are already looking into possible solutions to address these issues."

Translation:  Legitimate pain patients can expect a fivefold increase in untreated pain as doctors turn them away for fear of losing their license.  Oh well, there's always heroin

Source:

Science Daily:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110405161906.htm

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