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As reported recently on the Eyewitness News, the number of deaths caused by legally prescribed, non-illicit drugs - those prescribed for patients by physicians - is skyrocketing. And that, in KSL's view, is cause for alarm.
24 such deaths in 1991! As recently as 2001, the number was 85. Then something happened. 150 deaths caused by legally prescribed narcotics in 2001, 159 in 2002, 199 in 2004 and astonishingly, 249 in 2005.
The victims are not necessarily drug abusers on the street, but average Utahns under the care of a doctor, say the experts. In a few short years, legally prescribed painkillers, primarily Morphine, Methadone and Oxycodone, have become a leading cause of death among Utahns.
Some say the reason can be traced to the aggressiveness with which physicians have turned to treating patents with chronic pain. More narcotics are being prescribed. Others blame it on the addictive nature of pain-controlling medications and the fact patients don't always use the drugs as directed, rather they abuse them.
With such a dramatic increase in the death rate resulting from legally prescribed narcotics, KSL believes pinpointing the cause should become a priority among healthcare professionals. Along the way, there must be some serious evaluation about the best way to control severe pain and monitor pain medications given.
