Drug overdose deaths hit record level in 2014 – fatalities from opioid pain reliever, heroin, and similar drugs logging a 14 percent increase in only a year, showed new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, opioid pain killers, including oxycodone and hydrocodone, figured in more overdose deaths than any other type, increasing by 9 percent or 813 more deaths last year than in 2013.
CDC director Tom Frieden dubbed the trends alarming.
"The opioid epidemic is devastating American families and communities. To curb these trends and save lives, we must help prevent addiction and provide support and treatment to those who suffer from opioid use disorders,” Frieden said in an official release, calling for intensified law enforcement to curb access to these drugs.
The biggest driver of the drug overdose epidemic is a surge in prescription opioid pain reliever and heroin abuse. Opioids accounted for 60 percent of 2014 drug overdose deaths, with the largest chunk from synthetic ones that caused 5,500 deaths or nearly twice as many in 2013.
Heroin-related deaths climbed to 26 percent, with 10,574 deaths in total. People typically started on heroin – which is relatively affordable – with a previous history of prescription opioid misuse and dependence.
Deaths increased in both men and women, as well as non-Hispanic whites, blacks and adults across all age ranges. States that recorded the highest rates were Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, and West Virginia.
State rates are provided for a more balanced state-by-state comparison that considers population size differences. The most populous state, California, reflected the most overdose deaths in 2014 with over 4,500, followed by Ohio with over 2,700.
Drug overdoses claimed almost 500,000 American lives from 2000 to 2014. Since 2000, these deaths, which the CDC report based on death certificates, have risen to 137 percent, with those from opioids jumping to 200 percent.
CDC recommended limiting potential for opioid misuse and addiction, including equipping health care providers the tools to make informed prescribing decisions. It also promoted wider access to naloxone, a drug that can help reverse opioid overdose symptoms.
