Prescription Drug Abuse Spikes

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control cites a disturbing surge in the abuse of prescription pain relievers. According to the study released this weekend, between 2004 and 2008 the number of emergency-room visits due to nonmedical use of opioid analgesics (painkillers) surged by a whopping 111 percent. Over those years, there was a significant spike in the use of hydrocodone (found in Vicodin), oxycodone (found in OxyContin) and methadone. The study also found an 89 percent increase in the non-medical use of benzodiazepines, a class of psychoactive drugs with sedative properties, such as Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin. Women are slightly more likely than men to pay a visit to the ER for benzodiazepine abuse.