Tag Archives: drug overdose

Overview of the American Drug Overdose Epidemic

Introduction

This Straight, No Chaser guide loses at the drug overdose epidemic in the United States.

drug overdose epidemic deaths

Drug overdose deaths continue to increase in the United States. Deaths from drug overdose are up among both men and women, all races, and adults of nearly all ages. Two out of three drug overdose deaths involve an opioid. Opioids are substances that work in the nervous system of the body or in specific receptors in the brain to reduce the intensity of pain. Overdose deaths from opioids, including prescription opioids, heroin, and synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl) have increased almost six times since 1999.

Data on the Drug Overdose Epidemic

70,237 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in 2017. This is an increase of nearly 10% from 2016. Opioids are currently the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Opioids were involved in 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017 (67.8% of all drug overdose deaths), and 36% of those deaths involved prescription opioids. Deaths from prescription opioids totaled over 17,000 deaths in 2017, equivalent to approximately 46 deaths per day. For various reasons this is thought to be a undercounting of the scope of the problem.

In 2017, the states with the highest rates of death due to drug overdose were West Virginia (57.8 per 100,000), Ohio (46.3 per 100,000), Pennsylvania (44.3 per 100,000), the District of Columbia (44.0 per 100,000), and Kentucky (37.2 per 100,000). This chart is a graphic representation of states with increases in deaths due to drug overdose.

drug overdose epidemic

There’s More!

Read these Straight, No Chaser posts for details and discussion on various types of drug abuse.

Follow us!

Ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic. Also, take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. Additionally, as a thank you, we’re offering you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.jeffreysterlingbooks.com. Another free benefit to our readers is introductory pricing with multiple orders and bundles!

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK. Likewise, please share our page with your friends on WordPress! Also like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com! Follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Copyright ©2013- 2019 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser In The News: The Life Expectancy of Americans Drops for the First Time in 20+ Years

lifeexpecthistory

This is not a quirk, coincidence or mistake. Accordingly to the National Center for Health Statistics, for the first time in over two decades, life expectancy for Americans declined last year. This information is as shocking as it is rare.

life-expectancy-causes-of-death-01

Death rates increased in eight of the top 10 leading causes of death, including the following:

  • Heart attacks
  • Strokes
  • Diabetes
  • Drug Overdoses
  • Accidents

Deaths from Alzheimer’s disease represented the largest rate increase for any disease.

life expectancy

Even more concerning, these findings extend across all age groups and follow a five-year trend in which improvement in death rates were among the smallest improvements seen in 40 years. Death rates increased for white men and women and Black men, roughly staying the same for Black women and Hispanics. In case you were wondering, this increase in death rates is not being reproduced in other Western nations. The message here is there is a clear recent reduction in the health of the American citizen.
Many are confused and speculating about the causes for the near global reduction in life expectancy. Instead of guessing when the answers aren’t yet clear, I’d advise you to look for answers in the reporting on the only real positive finding: cancer showed a reduction in the death rate from cancer. The public health community would agree that specific innovation increase better prevention (specifically, fewer people are smoking), earlier detection (self-exams and adherence to screening regimens) and the development of new treatments that work best with good baseline health and early detection.

life-expectancy

Straight, No Chaser has previously published a guide on how to live longer. Use these evidence-based pointers to buck the tide. Remember, misinformation and opinions are every bit as bad as bad health habits. Be informed and empowered.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress
 

Straight, No Chaser: Facts About Drug Misuse and Overdose

prescription_drug abuse

Would you be surprised to know that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States? That’s right, more people die from overdoses than car crashes among those 25 to 64 years of age. More persons died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2014 than during any previous year on record. We are now at a point in which the percent of persons 12 years of age and over with any illicit drug use in the past month is 10.1% (2015 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)). From 2000 to 2014 nearly half a million persons in the United States have died from drug overdoses. In 2014, there were approximately one and a half times more drug overdose deaths in the United States than deaths from motor vehicle crashes. According to the CDC, every day in the U.S. over 100 people die as a result of a drug overdose, and nearly 7,000 individuals are treated in emergency departments for drug abuse/misuse. Since 2000, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses has increased 137%, including a 200% increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids (opioid pain relievers and heroin). This is the first in a series of Straight, No Chaser posts on the consequences of overdoses from misuse and abuse of drugs.

prescription drugfactsRX2

 To be clear, when we’re discussing drugs, we’re not just describing the “bad” or illegal (illicit) ones you might pick up on the street. Be reminded that any drug, including those prescribed or obtained over-the-counter has the potential to cause harm. Furthermore, you should appreciate that it doesn’t take an excessive amount of a drug (i.e., an overdose) to cause harm. Simply using a drug in a manner other than directed or prescribed (i.e., misuse or abuse) can produce dangerous consequences. Thus, nearly 9 out of 10 poisoning deaths are caused by drugs. You simply must be careful about taking the correct drug in the correct dose at the correct time. Very often, children and the elderly fall victim to seemingly simple errors, including the act of taking just one pill inappropriately.

 prescription drug deaths

The scope of drug misuse, abuse and overdose continues to expand. Consider the following data from the CDC:

  • Drug overdose death rates have been rising steadily in the last 25 years. There has been an increase of over 118% from 1999 to 2011 alone.
  • The rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids nearly doubled between 2013 and 2014.
  • During 2014, 47,055 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States.
  • In 2011, 33,071 (80%) of the 41,340 drug overdose deaths in the United States were unintentional, 5,298 (12.8%) were of suicidal intent, 80 (0.2%) were homicides, and 2,891 (7%) were of undetermined intent.
  • In 2011, drug misuse and abuse caused about 2.5 million emergency department (ED) visits. Of these, more than 1.4 million ED visits were related to prescribed and over-the-counter drugs (i.e., pharmaceuticals).
  • In 2004 and 2005, approximately 71,000 children (18 or younger) were seen in EDs each year because of unintentional medication overdose, not including self-harm, abuse and recreational drug use.
  • Among children under age 6, pharmaceuticals account for about 40% of all exposures reported to poison centers. There are many drugs that can be disastrous to a young child if only one dose is taken.

 Prescription Drug Abuse 2

I’d like to reiterate that a drug is any chemically active substance and not just illegal entities. The simplest of over-the-counter preparations as well as the most complicated mind-altering substances all can provide devastating adverse drug effects.

  • In 2014, 61% (28,647) of drug overdose deaths involved some type of opioid, including heroin. This is an increase from 55% in 2011.
  • Of the 22,810 deaths relating to pharmaceutical overdose in 2011, 16,917 (74%) involved opioid analgesics (also called opioid pain relievers or prescription painkillers), and 6,872 (30%) involved benzodiazepines. (Some deaths include more than one type of drug.)
  • In 2011, about 1.4 million ED visits involved the non-medical use of pharmaceuticals. Among those ED visits, 501,207 visits were related to anti-anxiety and insomnia medications, and 420,040 visits were related to opioid analgesics.
  • Benzodiazepines are frequently found among people treated in EDs for misusing or abusing drugs.  People who died of drug overdoses often had a combination of benzodiazepines and opioid analgesics in their bodies.

 prescription-drug-abuse-infographic_0

You may be wondering about demographic tendencies among those who die from drug use; the facts may actually surprise you given that they don’t fit commonly presented narratives. Consider the following facts from those who died from drug overdose in 2011:

  • The highest death rate was among people 45-49 years of age.
  • The lowest death rates were among children less than 15 years old (they simply do not abuse or misuse drugs as frequently as older people).
  • Men were 60% more likely than women to die.
  • Whites had the highest death rate, followed by American Indians/Alaska Natives and then African-Americans.

Additional Straight, No Chaser posts will review the effects of individual drugs, including over-the-counter, prescribed and illicit substances.
 
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Take the #72HoursChallenge, and join the community. As a thank you for being a valued subscriber to Straight, No Chaser, we’d like to offer you a complimentary 30-day membership at www.72hourslife.com. Just use the code #NoChaser, and yes, it’s ok if you share!
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new books There are 72 Hours in a Day: Using Efficiency to Better Enjoy Every Part of Your Life and The 72 Hours in a Day Workbook: The Journey to The 72 Hours Life in 72 Days at Amazon or at www.72hourslife.com. Receive introductory pricing with orders!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2017 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress
 

Straight, No Chaser In The News: The Life Expectancy of Americans Drops for the First Time in 20+ Years

lifeexpecthistory

This is not a quirk, coincidence or mistake. Accordingly to the National Center for Health Statistics, for the first time in over two decades, life expectancy for Americans declined last year. This information is as shocking as it is rare.

life-expectancy-causes-of-death-01

Death rates increased in eight of the top 10 leading causes of death, including the following:

  • Heart attacks
  • Strokes
  • Diabetes
  • Drug Overdoses
  • Accidents

Deaths from Alzheimer’s disease represented the largest rate increase for any disease.

life expectancy

Even more concerning, these findings extend across all age groups and follow a five-year trend in which improvement in death rates were among the smallest improvements seen in 40 years. Death rates increased for white men and women and Black men, roughly staying the same for Black women and Hispanics. In case you were wondering, this increase in death rates is not being reproduced in other Western nations. The message here is there is a clear recent reduction in the health of the American citizen.
Many are confused and speculating about the causes for the near global reduction in life expectancy. Instead of guessing when the answers aren’t yet clear, I’d advise you to look for answers in the reporting on the only real positive finding: cancer showed a reduction in the death rate from cancer. The public health community would agree that specific innovation increase better prevention (specifically, fewer people are smoking), earlier detection (self-exams and adherence to screening regimens) and the development of new treatments that work best with good baseline health and early detection.

life-expectancy

Straight, No Chaser has previously published a guide on how to live longer. Use these evidence-based pointers to buck the tide. Remember, misinformation and opinions are every bit as bad as bad health habits. Be informed and empowered.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Facts About Drug Misuse and Overdose

prescription_drug abuse

Would you be surprised to know that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States? That’s right, more people die from overdoses than car crashes among those 25 to 64 years of age. More persons died from drug overdoses in the United States in 2014 than during any previous year on record. From 2000 to 2014 nearly half a million persons in the United States have died from drug overdoses. In 2014, there were approximately one and a half times more drug overdose deaths in the United States than deaths from motor vehicle crashes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every day in the U.S. over 100 people die as a result of a drug overdose, and nearly 7,000 individuals are treated in emergency departments for drug abuse/misuse. Since 2000, the rate of deaths from drug overdoses has increased 137%, including a 200% increase in the rate of overdose deaths involving opioids (opioid pain relievers and heroin). This is the first in a series of Straight, No Chaser posts on the consequences of overdoses from misuse and abuse of drugs.

prescription drugfactsRX2

 To be clear, when we’re discussing drugs, we’re not just describing the “bad” or illegal (illicit) ones you might pick up on the street. Be reminded that any drug, including those prescribed or obtained over-the-counter has the potential to cause harm. Furthermore, you should appreciate that it doesn’t take an excessive amount of a drug (i.e., an overdose) to cause harm. Simply using a drug in a manner other than directed or prescribed (i.e., misuse or abuse) can produce dangerous consequences. Thus, nearly 9 out of 10 poisoning deaths are caused by drugs. You simply must be careful about taking the correct drug in the correct dose at the correct time. Very often, children and the elderly fall victim to seemingly simple errors, including the act of taking just one pill inappropriately.

 prescription drug deaths

The scope of drug misuse, abuse and overdose continues to expand. Consider the following data from the CDC:

  • Drug overdose death rates have been rising steadily in the last 25 years. There has been an increase of over 118% from 1999 to 2011 alone.
  • The rate of drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids nearly doubled between 2013 and 2014.
  • During 2014, 47,055 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States.
  • In 2011, 33,071 (80%) of the 41,340 drug overdose deaths in the United States were unintentional, 5,298 (12.8%) were of suicidal intent, 80 (0.2%) were homicides, and 2,891 (7%) were of undetermined intent.
  • In 2011, drug misuse and abuse caused about 2.5 million emergency department (ED) visits. Of these, more than 1.4 million ED visits were related to prescribed and over-the-counter drugs (i.e., pharmaceuticals).
  • In 2004 and 2005, approximately 71,000 children (18 or younger) were seen in EDs each year because of unintentional medication overdose, not including self-harm, abuse and recreational drug use.
  • Among children under age 6, pharmaceuticals account for about 40% of all exposures reported to poison centers. There are many drugs that can be distrastrous to a young child if only one dose is taken.

 Prescription Drug Abuse 2

I’d like to reiterate that a drug is any chemically active substance and not just illegal entities. The simplest of over-the-counter preparations as well as the most complicated mind-altering substances all can provide devastating adverse drug effects.

  • In 2014, 61% (28,647) of drug overdose deaths involved some type of opioid, including heroin. This is an increase from 55% in 2011.
  • Of the 22,810 deaths relating to pharmaceutical overdose in 2011, 16,917 (74%) involved opioid analgesics (also called opioid pain relievers or prescription painkillers), and 6,872 (30%) involved benzodiazepines. (Some deaths include more than one type of drug.)
  • In 2011, about 1.4 million ED visits involved the nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals. Among those ED visits, 501,207 visits were related to anti-anxiety and insomnia medications, and 420,040 visits were related to opioid analgesics.
  • Benzodiazepines are frequently found among people treated in EDs for misusing or abusing drugs.  People who died of drug overdoses often had a combination of benzodiazepines and opioid analgesics in their bodies.

 prescription-drug-abuse-infographic_0

You may be wondering about demographic tendencies among those who die from drug use; the facts may actually surprise you given that they don’t fit commonly presented narratives. Consider the following facts from those who died from drug overdose in 2011:

  • The highest death rate was among people 45-49 years of age.
  • The lowest death rates were among children less than 15 years old (they simply do not abuse or misuse drugs as frequently as older people).
  • Men were 60% more likely than women to die.
  • Whites had the highest death rate, followed by American Indians/Alaska Natives and then African-Americans.

Additional Straight, No Chaser posts will review the effects of individual drugs, including over-the-counter, prescribed and illicit substances.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

Straight, No Chaser: Facts About Drug Misuse and Overdose

 prescription_drug abuse

Would you be surprised to know that drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States? That’s right, more people die from overdoses than car crashes among those 25 to 64 years of age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), every day in the U.S. over 100 people die as a result of a drug overdose, and nearly 7,000 individuals are treated in emergency departments for drug abuse/misuse. This is the first in a series of Straight, No Chaser posts on the consequences of overdoses from misuse and abuse of drugs.

prescription drugfactsRX2

 To be clear, when we’re discussing drugs, we’re not just describing the “bad” or illegal (illicit) ones you might pick up on the street. Be reminded that any drug, including those prescribed or obtained over-the-counter has the potential to cause harm. Furthermore, you should appreciate that it doesn’t take an excessive amount of a drug (i.e., an overdose) to cause harm. Simply using a drug in a manner other than directed or prescribed (i.e., misuse or abuse) can produce dangerous consequences. Thus, nearly 9 out of 10 poisoning deaths are caused by drugs. You simply must be careful about taking the correct drug in the correct dose at the correct time. Very often, children and the elderly fall victim to seemingly simple errors, including the act of taking just one pill inappropriately.

 prescription drug deaths

The scope of drug misuse, abuse and overdose continues to expand. Consider the following data from the CDC:

  • Drug overdose death rates have been rising steadily in the last 25 years. There has been an increase of over 118% from 1999 to 2011 alone.
  • In 2011, 33,071 (80%) of the 41,340 drug overdose deaths in the United States were unintentional, 5,298 (12.8%) were of suicidal intent, 80 (0.2%) were homicides, and 2,891 (7%) were of undetermined intent.
  • In 2011, drug misuse and abuse caused about 2.5 million emergency department (ED) visits. Of these, more than 1.4 million ED visits were related to prescribed and over-the-counter drugs (i.e., pharmaceuticals).
  • In 2004 and 2005, approximately 71,000 children (18 or younger) were seen in EDs each year because of unintentional medication overdose, not including self-harm, abuse and recreational drug use.
  • Among children under age 6, pharmaceuticals account for about 40% of all exposures reported to poison centers. There are many drugs that can be distrastrous to a young child if only one dose is taken.

 Prescription Drug Abuse 2

I’d like to reiterate that a drug is any chemically active substance and not just illegal entities. The simplest of over-the-counter preparations as well as the most complicated mind-altering substances all can provide devastating adverse drug effects.

  • In 2011, of the 41,340 drug overdose deaths in the United States, 22,810 (55%) were related to pharmaceuticals.
  • Of the 22,810 deaths relating to pharmaceutical overdose in 2011, 16,917 (74%) involved opioid analgesics (also called opioid pain relievers or prescription painkillers), and 6,872 (30%) involved benzodiazepines. (Some deaths include more than one type of drug.)
  • In 2011, about 1.4 million ED visits involved the nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals. Among those ED visits, 501,207 visits were related to anti-anxiety and insomnia medications, and 420,040 visits were related to opioid analgesics.
  • Benzodiazepines are frequently found among people treated in EDs for misusing or abusing drugs.  People who died of drug overdoses often had a combination of benzodiazepines and opioid analgesics in their bodies.

 prescription-drug-abuse-infographic_0

You may be wondering about demographic tendencies among those who die from drug use; the facts may actually surprise you given that they don’t fit commonly presented narratives. Consider the following facts from those who died from drug overdose in 2011:

  • The highest death rate was among people 45-49 years of age.
  • The lowest death rates were among children less than 15 years old (they simply do not abuse or misuse drugs as frequently as older people).
  • Men were 60% more likely than women to die.
  • Whites had the highest death rate, followed by American Indians/Alaska Natives and then African-Americans.

Additional Straight, No Chaser posts will review the effects of individual drugs, including over-the-counter, prescribed and illicit substances.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what 844-SMA-TALK and http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress. We are also on Facebook at SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2014 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress.