Two of the top 3 types of prescription drugs that people tend to overdose on are psychiatric drugs: benzodiazepines and ADHD drugs. CDC stats show that 53% of drug deaths in 2012 were from legal drugs.
UT San Diego – November 11, 2014
By Erinn Hutkin
There were 254 deaths in San Diego County last year that resulted from an overdose of prescription drugs, according to the county medical examiner’s office.
Nationally, 105 people die daily across the United States from prescription drug overdoses, which is more than the number of deaths resulting from heroin and cocaine use combined, said Dr. Roneet Lev, who chairs a countywide prescription drug abuse medical task force.
In many cases, she said, deaths result from taking drugs mixed with other drugs and/or alcohol. For instance, she said, there were four deaths last year that involved the over-the-counter allergy medicine Benadryl.
She said nearly anything can be deadly if a person takes too much or mixes medicine with other substances.
“There’s a saying … ‘One pill can kill you,’” she said. “It’s dosage-dependent and what you’re mixing it with.”
Dr. David Sack, CEO of Promises Treatment Centers in LA, said the types of prescription drugs that people tend to overdose on generally fall into one of three categories:
- Opioids: Pain relievers such as OxyContin, Percocet, Opana and Vicodin are prized for the calming sense of euphoria they give, which has been likened to heroin – also an opioid. He said because the pills can cost up to hundreds of dollars each on the street, users are increasingly turning to the now cheaper heroin. Opioids are extremely habit-forming and are often used with other drugs or alcohol, all of which can make them much more likely to cause hypoventilation, or respiratory depression, overdose and death.
- Benzodiazepines: These act as
Click image to see the number of Americans taking psychiatric drugs, broken down by age.
tranquilizers or depressants to impart a soothing feeling of relaxation. Among the most popular ones are Xanax, Klonopin and Valium. These can be habit-forming, and misuse can lead to overdose death.
- Stimulants: Amphetamines, prescribed for conditions such as ADHD, and called Adderall, Concerta or Ritalin, are often abused by people who want to focus or stay awake — truck drivers or students cramming for exams. The drugs latch onto the same receptors in the brain as cocaine and can become habit-forming. Repeated high doses can cause dangerous spikes in body temperature, which can lead to cardiovascular problems – even heart failure – and promote feelings of paranoia and hostility.
CDC statistics show that of the 41,500 drug overdose deaths nationwide in 2012, 53 percent were related to pharmaceuticals.
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