Pubdate: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 Source: Salisbury Post (NC) Copyright: 2003 Post Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.salisburypost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/380 Author: Katie Scarvey Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?136 (Methadone) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone) JAMA REPORT: METHADONE DEATHS ARE ON THE RISE Prescription drugs now account for more deaths in North Carolina than illegal drugs, says Kay Sanford, an epidemiologist who works for the state. In the five-year period ending in 2001, the number of deaths from unintentional drug overdoses increased more than 100 percent, largely due to the escalating misuse and abuse of prescription narcotics -- methadone in particular, Sanford says. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed autopsy reports from North Carolina for the period of 1997-2001. The results of the study were published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association The study found that between 1997 and 2001, 1,325 North Carolina residents lost their lives from an unintentional drug overdose. Ninety of those deaths were explicitly due to the unintentional overdose of oxycodone, Sanford says. But the drug methadone is actually responsible for more prescription drug deaths in North Carolina than oxycodone. Researchers found 198 deaths attributed to methadone use during the five-year period studied. Methadone is most widely known as a treatment for opiate addiction. But doctors are prescribing methadone for pain management more frequently these days, Sanford says, in part because of concerns about OxyContin. Methadone has fewer side effects than other narcotic pain medications and it's relatively inexpensive. Between 1997 and 2001, unintentional deaths related to methadone increased six-fold. Only four percent of methadone overdose deaths were among patients enrolled in opiate treatment programs. While methadone is an effective analgesic, it's tricky to prescribe, Sanford says. It requires a lot of interaction between doctor and patient to get the dosage right. Methadone does not give the user a high, Sanford says, so if it's being used recreationally, the user may be disappointed and increase the dose, which can lead to problems. Because it takes longer for the analgesic property of methadone to kick in -- and because methadone remains in the system after the analgesic effect wears off -- methadone users are at increased risk of taking too much. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk