Americans Double Use of Pain Meds

Led by Oxycodone, sales of painkillers soared 90% in 8 years
By Heather McPherson,  Newser User
Posted Aug 20, 2007 9:40 AM CDT
Americans Double Use of Pain Meds
Retired U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. James Fernandez, 54, of Fredericksburg, Va., holds a tray containing part of the daily prescription medicines he uses to overcome his severe pain, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007. Fernandez, who survived two helicopter crashes and a bout with Gulf War Syndrome over 20 years in...   (Associated Press)

Retail sales of five major painkillers rose a whopping 90% from 1997 to 2005, a new AP analysis of DEA statistics shows. The increase is driven by Oxycodone, the chemical used in OxyContin, which has seen sales increase nearly 600%. Causes include an aging population, huge new drug marketing campaigns, and an increased willingness by doctors to prescribe the meds.

With the increase is coming a corresponding spike in painkiller abuse, particularly of oxycodone. "I'm concerned, and many people are concerned, that the pendulum is swinging too far back," a New York doctor tells the AP. On the other hand, some doctors say fears of abuse are causing them to be targeted for providing medicines their patients desperately need. (More painkiller stories.)

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