Opioid crisis: US drug overdose deaths drop by 5.1%

[Zippyjuan]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49026223

Drug overdose deaths in the US have fallen for the first time since 1999, according to preliminary official data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) figures showed a drop of 5.1% in 2018 from the year before.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said this was down to a decline in deaths linked to opioids.

US efforts "to curb opioid use disorder and addiction are working," he said in a statement, although he added the issue "will not be solved overnight".

The US is in the midst of an opioid crisis, with hundreds of thousands thought to have died over the last few decades.

Fatal drug overdose numbers rose every year from 1999 to 2017, including a sharp spike between 2014 and 2017.

Experts partially blame the overprescription of powerful and addictive painkillers for the epidemic.

The CDC research shows that an estimated 68,557 people died in 2018, down from 72,224 people in 2017.

Deaths from natural and semi-synthetic opioids - painkillers like morphine, codeine and oxycodone - fell by 14.5%, the sharpest drop for any drug category.

However, those linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl still rose. Fentanyl is said to be up to 100 times stronger than morphine and has flooded the illegal US drugs market.

The numbers of deaths attributed to cocaine and methamphetamine also rose in 2018.

"Lives are being saved, and we're beginning to win the fight against this crisis," Mr Azar's statement said, praising efforts by the Trump administration and community efforts across the US for the shift.

But while he described the decline as "encouraging", Mr Azar said "by no means have we declared victory against the epidemic or addiction in general".

"This crisis developed over two decades and it will not be solved overnight."

The Washington Post reports that the biggest US drug companies gave out 76 billion oxycodone and hydrocodone pain pills between 2006 and 2012.

That is enough for 230 pills for every man, woman, and child in the US.

[Stratovarious]

Credit to Obama ?

[tod evans]

That is enough for 230 pills for every man, woman, and child in the US.

A grown man with serious pain can easily consume 12 pills per day @ 5mg that's 360 every month..

How does this work into the propaganda?

Legalize/decriminalize all drugs and all the problems will self correct in 180 days......All of 'em but government paychecks.

Won't be needing about 40% of government after the 1st 180 days.

[Zippyjuan]

A grown man with serious pain can easily consume 12 pills per day @ 5mg that's 360 every month..

How does this work into the propaganda?

Legalize/decriminalize all drugs and all the problems will self correct in 180 days......All of 'em but government paychecks.

Won't be needing about 40% of government after the 1st 180 days.

Those opioids are legalized.

[tod evans]

Those opioids are legalized.

Which ones?

Opiates or opioids?

To the best of my knowledge neither are over the counter.

[Danke]

Thanks once again Trump!

[euphemia]

Or maybe now that the pharmaceutical industry is making Narcan more readily available, more people are surviving overdoses?

[jkr]

Farm bill mfrs!
#RANDSLIDE

[Intoxiklown]

A grown man with serious pain can easily consume 12 pills per day @ 5mg that's 360 every month..

How does this work into the propaganda?

Legalize/decriminalize all drugs and all the problems will self correct in 180 days......All of 'em but government paychecks.

Won't be needing about 40% of government after the 1st 180 days.

I ruptured my discs at L4 and L5 (BADLY) which lead to severe nerve impingement against my sciatic nerve, causing the nerve to grow into the vertebrae. Unlike most people's story of their sciatic pain, mine was a pain level of 10 24/7 that had me taking 100mgs of hydrocodone with whiskey just hoping to get an hour of sleep (I went three days at the end where I couldn't sleep from pain, and all the "rest" I got was passing out from exhaustion for a few minutes here and there). I tell people I thought I knew what pain was until that adventure. Eating a bullet started to get REAL appetizing to me. I was just after an epidural and waiting for my doctor appointment when I got "lucky" and collapsed in the bedroom unable to walk, which lead to an ER trip and MRI, which shipped me that night for emergency neurosurgery.

I take 20mg just to get out of bed now (it's 6 years since my surgery and they only fixed the nerve impingement as my discs are still seriously herniated from the damage) , and after some basic yard work take 50mg to 60mg. It's a combination between pain and simple tolerance (as well as some metabolic genes that makes people in my family less prone to opiods.) but, as you're alluding to, while a lot of people who simply don't know might think I had to be a pain pill junkie that's completely untrue.

[Intoxiklown]

Or maybe now that the pharmaceutical industry is making Narcan more readily available, more people are surviving overdoses?

I think it's education. Less people are taking opiates and mixing them with things like xanax now. If you take out heroin overdoses and (what's supposed to be hospice) drugs like fentanyl, every "pain pill overdose" will be due to a combination of another drug they took with it.

[tod evans]

I ruptured my discs at L4 and L5 (BADLY) which lead to severe nerve impingement against my sciatic nerve, causing the nerve to grow into the vertebrae. Unlike most people's story of their sciatic pain, mine was a pain level of 10 24/7 that had me taking 100mgs of hydrocodone with whiskey just hoping to get an hour of sleep (I went three days at the end where I couldn't sleep from pain, and all the "rest" I got was passing out from exhaustion for a few minutes here and there). I tell people I thought I knew what pain was until that adventure. Eating a bullet started to get REAL appetizing to me. I was just after an epidural and waiting for my doctor appointment when I got "lucky" and collapsed in the bedroom unable to walk, which lead to an ER trip and MRI, which shipped me that night for emergency neurosurgery.

I take 20mg just to get out of bed now (it's 6 years since my surgery and they only fixed the nerve impingement as my discs are still seriously herniated from the damage) , and after some basic yard work take 50mg to 60mg. It's a combination between pain and simple tolerance (as well as some metabolic genes that makes people in my family less prone to opiods.) but, as you're alluding to, while a lot of people who simply don't know might think I had to be a pain pill junkie that's completely untrue.

I have a few friends who are on 15-20mg every 6 hours.

Simple dental work for me require 10mg every 3-4 hrs and I'm a lightweight who doesn't like downs.

Opioids/opiates can be misused but honestly the hazards of cops-n-kourts far outweighs the hazards of the drugs.

[Intoxiklown]

I have a few friends who are on 15-20mg every 6 hours.

Simple dental work for me require 10mg every 3-4 hrs and I'm a lightweight who doesn't like downs.

Opioids/opiates can be misused but honestly the hazards of cops-n-kourts far outweighs the hazards of the drugs.

A funny story to give you an idea of how "less" opiates affect people on my father's side.....

My grandfather, who was a TEE-TOTAL'ER and did NOT drink, would make exception for the dentist. He would go buy a fifth of Jim Beam, sit in the waiting room (in a dry county...lol), and start pounding that bottle. Luckily, the dentist was a family friend who liked to quail hunt with our family...so he'd have a room set up and kept empty on those days all set up for whatever they had to do, and then the second my granddaddy told the receptionist he was ready, he'd stagger to that chair and the dentist would get it over with fast as he could. People were shocked at my tolerance (I can take 3mg of Dilaudid in an IV, and walk around and talk completely fine), but my granddaddy.....locals didn't affect him at all. They'd give him almost 75% pure gas and it was like he was breathing mountain air. LOL.....they tried morphine once, and the doctor finally quit saying he'd already reached what would be fatal levels for most people and my granddaddy didn't feel it.


Edit:

Oh, opiates aren't a downer for me. If I take 60mg or so, you'd SWEAR I was on uppers. I'm super energetic, sweating, talkative and uber friendly

[TheTexan]

War on drugs

#Winning

[Danke]

Eating a bullet started to get REAL appetizing to me.

I know the feeling. I had a bad toothache overseas. No ER to go to. Finally I located some pills that I had no idea what they were after my alcohol remedy was not working to relieve the severe pain. The pills knocked me out, and I felt fine when I woke up...

[Intoxiklown]

I know the feeling. I had a bad toothache overseas. No ER to go to. Finally I located some pills that I had no idea what they were after my alcohol remedy was not working to relieve the severe pain. The pills knocked me out, and I felt fine when I woke up...

I feel for you....a bad toothache is a special kind of misery. I suffered a dry socket once.....it's been a lot of years, but I remember I went through a 12 pill script of mepergan that day, and had 25 tylox (now there's an old ass pain killer that will date me) over the next two just to keep things bearable while it healed.

I actually did tell the nurse when I went to the ER for my back when she asked me to describe my pain level that if they told me they couldn't do something and this was my life, that I'd shoot myself. LOL....while I meant that as purely a way to drive home what I was dealing with, that nurse went to my wife (whose an MD at the ER we went to) and told her she was concerned I was suicidal. The wife got a chuckle out of that and told her I was just making sure we were all eye to eye because I wanted IV pain drugs ASAP.

[Danke]

I feel for you....a bad toothache is a special kind of misery. I suffered a dry socket once.....it's been a lot of years, but I remember I went through a 12 pill script of mepergan that day, and had 25 tylox (now there's an old ass pain killer that will date me) over the next two just to keep things bearable while it healed.

I actually did tell the nurse when I went to the ER for my back when she asked me to describe my pain level that if they told me they couldn't do something and this was my life, that I'd shoot myself. LOL....while I meant that as purely a way to drive home what I was dealing with, that nurse went to my wife (whose an MD at the ER we went to) and told her she was concerned I was suicidal. The wife got a chuckle out of that and told her I was just making sure we were all eye to eye because I wanted IV pain drugs ASAP.

I am not joking. Had I had access to a gun...It was like stubbing a toe or getting hit in the shin, those pains quickly subside, but the toothache in your head, just as intense, doesn't.

[Intoxiklown]

....

lol...I'm in no way doubting you. I watched my wife deal with a night waiting for the am to go to the dentist with a nerve exposed and her swishing tequilla so much she blistered her mouth trying to keep it numb.

[Occam's Banana]

Those opioids are legalized.

Which ones?

Opiates or opioids?

To the best of my knowledge neither are over the counter.

Apparently, what Zippy means by "legalized" is "you have to ask a special government-approved person to give you a special government-approved permission slip which you have to take to yet another special government-approved person - otherwise, some other special government-approved persons are allowed to take your stuff and put you in a rape-cage."

Yay, freedom ...