The prescription drug methadone was involved in more than 30 percent of U.S. prescription painkiller overdose deaths in 2009, health officials said. A Vital Signs report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said methadone was used safely and effectively for decades to treat drug addiction, but in recent years it has been increasingly used as a pain reliever. The report found six times as many people died of methadone overdoses in 2009 compared to methadone-related deaths in 1999. The researchers analyzed national data from 1999 to 2010, and 2009 data from 13 states part of a surveillance system for drug-related deaths. "Methadone carries more risks than other painkillers because it tends to build up in the body and can disrupt a person's breathing or heart rhythm," the report said. Four of every 10 overdose deaths from a single prescription painkiller involved methadone -- twice as many as any other prescription painkiller, the report said. "Deaths from opioid overdose have increased four-fold in the past decade, and methadone now accounts for nearly a third of opioid-associated deaths," Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the CDC, said in a statement. "Methadone used for heroin substitution treatment does not appear to be a major part of this problem. However, the amount of methadone prescribed to people in pain has increased dramatically. There are many safer alternatives to methadone for chronic non-cancer pain."
GMT 18:35 2018 Thursday ,11 January
Syrian refugee sets himself ablaze at UN office in LebanonGMT 18:48 2018 Tuesday ,09 January
Novo Nordisk woos Belgian nano-drug makerGMT 17:54 2017 Wednesday ,27 December
Medical evacuations begin from besieged Syria rebel bastionGMT 12:14 2017 Monday ,25 December
MoHAP successfully conducts cochlear implant operationGMT 18:24 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Palestinian conjoined twins arrive in RiyadhGMT 19:05 2017 Monday ,18 December
new! magazine names fitness & food editorGMT 17:03 2017 Wednesday ,29 November
Spain reports case of 'mad cow disease'GMT 14:05 2017 Saturday ,11 November
EU can't agree on new licence for controversial glyphosate weedkiller
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor