About 18 U.S. women die every day of a prescription painkiller overdose, totaling more than 6,600 deaths in 2010, according to a new CDC report. Will Humble of the Arizona Department of Health says this is a stunning increase of 400% since 1999.
According to the report, every 3 minutes, a woman goes to the emergency department for prescription painkiller misuse or abuse. The report notes that women are more likely to have chronic pain than men and as a result may be prescribed prescription painkillers in higher doses, and use them for longer periods of time. Women are also more likely than men to die of overdoses on medicines for mental health conditions, like antidepressants, writes Humble.
According to Humble, in Arizona, poisoning (including alcohol and prescription drugs) causes more deaths than car crashes. ADHS is part of the Arizona Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Initiative, a multi-agency, multi-systemic approach to addressing the epidemic. As part of this initiative, new guidelines have been issued for prescribing controlled substances in Emergency Departments and dispensing of controlled substances by pharmacists.
The Arizona Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Initiative lists available drop box and take-back events for safe disposal of prescription drugs in Arizona.