I love statistics. I love history. I am a firm believer that statistics tell the story. It is always interesting to look at an issue at a statewide level. One of the hot topics lately has been prescription drug use and abuse.

Here is a statistical look at Colorado’s prescription medication problem from the Colorado Attorney General.

Just how bad has the problem gotten in Colorado? If deaths related to prescription drug abuse are any indication, the problem has almost doubled in the past 10 years. In 2000 there were 228 deaths attributed to abused prescriptions. In 2010 414 people lost their lives to prescription medication abuse and addiction.

What caused more deaths in 2010 drunk driving or prescription medications? I know that all my loyal followers guessed, due to the nature of this blog, that it must be meds and you are correct! Drunken driving incidents caused 127 deaths in Colorado in 2010, versus the 414 from prescription medications.

In 2010 more than half the drug-related deaths involved prescription medications in Denver.

If things don’t change they are not going to get any better. It has been estimated that the use of oxycodone in the Denver area has increased 53% in the past three years alone!

On the bright side, Coloradans tend to be environmental friendly. This is also true for the recycling of prescription medication where they recycled more than 35,000 pounds of unused medication in 2010.

On the dark side, it has been estimated that one in three high school students had already abused prescription medication. This is significantly higher than the national data of 1 in 5 teens (20.9%), reporting the abuse of prescription drugs in 2009.

Is Colorado an exception? No way! Its problem mimics that of every other state in the Union. Does this not frighten you? Do you think more drug classes will help? What solution can you provide?

Drug classes are not only for people who have been arrested for a drug-related incident. Anyone using any type of drug, including prescription medication could benefit from a drug class.

A recent report revealed that nearly two-thirds of patients neglect to take prescribed medications, use it too frequently or take medicine that was not prescribed to them. This as reported by ibtimes.com. Drugs that patients misused included painkillers such as Vicodin or oxycodone and amphetamines such as Adderall.

The high cost of some medication may be partially responsible for the use and misuse of medications. Some patients didn’t take meds they could not afford, while others skipped treatments or illegally sold their meds.

The report also showed that most of the patients who abused the medications, took them in higher doses than prescribed or took non-prescribed pills.

Few will deny that the world is facing a near-epidemic problem with prescription medication abuse!

Almost 15,000 people died of prescription drug overdoses, more than cocaine and heroin combined, in 2008.

How bad is the problem? In 2010, two million people reported using painkillers that were not prescribed to them for the first time -- almost 5,500 per day.

What do you think the answer is? I think more education, drug classes combined with counseling to help rehabilitate addicts. If you or someone you care about has a drug problem, please seek help. If you prefer to maintain anonymity, there are online drug classes too.

Do you take any prescription medications that were not prescribed for you? If not, you soon will be in the minority. That’s how rampant prescription medication abuse is in this country right now!

According to a recent US Government study, more than 70 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers obtain the drugs from friends or relatives, usually with permission and for free.

The study, reported in Reuters, based on an ongoing national survey of nearly 70,000 Americans aged 12 and over, offers a snapshot of a growing health and safety problem that is already responsible for more fatal overdoses than cocaine and heroin, combined, and has begun to spawn other crimes including gang violence.

It estimated that more than 7 million Americans abuse pharmaceutical drugs. Prescription drugs account for about 75 percent of all drug-related U.S. overdose deaths. Pain killers like oxycodone are responsible for ¾ of all pill overdoses in the US.

With data showing the home medicine cabinet to be a prime source, law authorities around the country face a daunting public education challenge to persuade legal drug users to dispose of medication properly before it can fall into the wrong hands.

A program devoted to media outreach, which originated under President Bill Clinton, is no longer being funded by Congress.

The president has requested $20 million for a media campaign that had been run successfully from this office. Unfortunately, last year, Congress did not fund it.

In the meantime, the criminal threat posed by illicit pill mills and dealers - who can include doctors and pharmacists - has begun to spread across the United States. We need more drug classes and education to keep kids and adults off of drugs.

One of the fastest growing segments of the population suffering addiction issues are those in their 50s. yes, that is true. The number of people over the age of 50 who are being treated for addiction is drastically on the rise.

According to the Sacramento Bee, in a recent study, older adults who reported using illegal drugs within a year, nearly doubled between 2002 and 2007, while use of nonmedical pharmaceuticals increased from 2.2% in 2002 to 3.9% in 2009.

This is quite terrifying given the extreme expense of medical care. A vast majority of this group will be on public benefit medical insurance, or at least publically-subsidized care in the coming years.

Why are older adults becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol? The study found depression or anxiety to be the number one reason older adults abuse drugs or alcohol. Additional factors such as economic and financial stress and retirement were also cited as contributing factors to dependency. Nearly half of the respondents named prescription drugs and alcohol as their substances of choice.

Society has made strides with educating young people as to the dangers of drugs and alcohol. We would like to think our older generations would know how bad they are. Their reasoning behind addiction is a psychological study for another blog. But we have to see if we can offer them drug classes that will keep them from stepping off the path of righteousness in the future.

With more people taking prescription medication it is no surprise society is seeing a huge increase in serious health issues and death from people mixing their various meds.

Despite warning labels on prescription pill bottles and frequent news reports of celebrity overdoses, people are not taking the risks of fatal drug combinations seriously. Whitney Houston was the latest celebrity who died by combining drugs. Here are some of the biggest risks reported by psychcentral.com:

Seniors at Risk

One of the groups I am most concerned about are our senior citizens. Seniors are more likely to take a variety of medications for different ailments and whose bodies are more sensitive to the drugs’ effects. Given that more than half of older adults take five or more prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications or dietary supplements every day, the risk of an adverse drug interaction is high.

Following are a few drugs not to mix.

Blood Thinners and Aspirin

Combining the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin) with aspirin can significantly increase the risk of bleeding. The risk is even higher when taken with garlic pills or leafy, green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, cabbage or Brussels sprouts.

Blood pressure Meds and Potassium

Combining this blood pressure meds like Zestril or Prinivil with potassium can cause irregular heart rhythms or death.

Cholesterol Meds and Niacin

Ironically, the vitamin niacin can be used to lower both cholesterol and triglycerides. However, combining popular prescription cholesterol drugs (statins) and over-the-counter niacin (a type of B vitamin that lowers cholesterol) can increase the risk of muscle pain and damage. Statins can also be dangerous when combined with grapefruit juice, which increases the risk of liver and kidney damage and the breakdown of muscle cells.

The best way to educate yourself about the medications you are taking. Take notes when you go to the doctor’s office and pharmacy and consider a 15 hour drug education class to learn more. Medications make you feel better, but they could make you feel a whole lot worse if you make the mistake of combining them.

Just how bad is America’s drug problem right now? I hope prescription pain medication is not the only indicator, because a recent report showed that use and abuse of prescription pain killers has increased an astounding 200% in the past 20 years!

Painkiller abuse in the United States has exploded along with skyrocketing prescriptions and sales according to the Courier General. Even doctors and dentists just trying to do the right thing by their patients are being victimized and fueling the epidemic.

Even well-meaning doctors and dentists are fueling the epidemic of prescription drug abuse by prescribing narcotics too often and for too long, officials said.

Recent statistics show that prescriptions for opiate-based painkillers dispensed by retail pharmacies rose from 76 million in 1991 to 219 million in 2011.

Has life gotten that much more difficult over the years that such strong pain medication is required by so many? Of course the answer to that question is a resounding no!

One of the hardest-hit states is Kentucky which experienced more than 1,000 deaths last year attributed to prescription-drug overdoses — more deaths than in traffic accidents.

Dentists and emergency medicine physicians were the chief prescribers of painkillers to patients 5 to 29 years old, and that high prescribers should consider alternatives, particularly for this vulnerable group. Really, do 5-year-olds need such heavy medication?

She also said education on pain management is sorely lacking in medical schools, which offer an average of seven hours, compared with 75 hours in U.S. veterinary schools.

Crazy Stat of the Month

In 2010, enough prescription painkillers were prescribed to medicate every American adult around the clock for a month.

That is crazy. What do you think? Is it that it is a buzz people can hide? Will more 8 hour drug awareness classes and 15 hour drug education classes help curb this trend? I would like to hear what you think.

Unless you have been on a deserted island for the past few years, you have to realize that prescription drug abuse is rampant in America and around the world. Celebrities too fall victim to the virulent talons of prescription medication.

This most certainly is the case for those entering the Malibu Beach Recovery Center, a rehab clinic for the rich and famous, clings like a determined survivor to a picturesque hillside a short drive from the Malibu movie colony in California.

According to nbclosangeles.com, in just the past year alone, street drugs have given way to something just as deadly among the high-end clientele seeking help here.

It is hard to believe that the biggest “dealer” in the area is parents’ medicine cabinet!

A long time veteran in Hollywood said that 60 percent of her new clients are addicts hooked on prescription meds – and not just the anti-anxieties, like Xanax or Klonopin. More and more of them, she said, are zoned out on heavy-hitters like Fentanyl, often used by cancer patients.

Fentanyl, a pain killer many times more powerful than morphine, is sometimes applied by skin patch.

Actors tend to use their skills to keep their medicine cabinets well-stocked with extras. Two brothers put together a traveling tear-jerker in which one wheeled the other into an ER, posing as a disabled man in desperate need of instant high-powered pain relief.

They were so convincing that the state of Colorado later hired one of them to help spot scam artists working the urgent-care circuit.

Another actor became so practiced at playing the all-suffering clinic-crawler that she knew exactly how many milligrams of a certain pill a doctor should prescribe to keep her high. The doctor was so relieved at having his diagnostic chores eased that he promptly put her on a diladin drip. After taking several hits of the drug, the woman asked to be unhooked so she could grab a cigarette break.

Holy crud!

One paramedic referred to her as the “perfect patient.”

For some, their special taste was for booze laced with Xanax, an increasingly popular combo with pill addicts.

The same debilitating cocktail popped up as a featured player in news stories about Whitney Houston’s last days of hard partying. Houston was never a patient at the center.

The biggest problem is that there’s no public database for tracking prescriptions nationwide, from state to state.

The epidemic of both celebrities and the mainstream population becoming addicted to prescription medication cannot be ignored. We need more drug classes and counseling. The truest remedy lies in keeping our youth from ever experimenting with drugs in the first place.

From Snooki to Vinnie to Mike "The Situation", anyone who ever has watched the reality show Jersey Shore know these kids need drug and alcohol classes. These reality stars have an unhealthy impact on the youth of America today.

Shows like “Jersey Shore” are creating an illusion for today’s youth that they are normal and their poor behavior is acceptable. I certainly do not like my middle-schooler watching any of these shows.

"The Situation" Enters Rehab

The communication between representatives for Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and the reality star could use some work. Shortly after his rep denied the reality star had a problem with substance abuse and was getting some rest and relaxation. It turns out “The Situation” went and checked himself into rehab!

Turns out Sorrentino has a prescription drug problem.

While the show and the characters revolt me, I am glad to see one of them trying to better themselves by trying to quit using drugs. He made some weak statement that he was addicted to prescription medication because he was so exhausted. Please, spare us the BS.

MTV announced this week that "The Jersey Shore" is coming back for a sixth season, with expectant mom Snooki on board as well.

I remember when MTV was "Music Television" and broadcast music videos. Those make far too much money for MTV to consider getting rid of them. However, my guess is that this will be the last season. We can only hope. The cast certainly can use a New Jersey Drug and Alcohol Class.

Drug abuse is on the rise among our nation’s youth. The two main drugs that have seen the highest increase in use are marijuana and prescription medications. The key to stopping long-term drug problems is to continue to try and educate youth and convince them not to even try drugs, alcohol and even cigarettes.

Native American Troubles

A national survey asking about use of alcohol and 9 drug classes, including marijuana, inhalants, heroin and prescription painkillers (2005-2008) revealed that there many problems. The study included youth ages 12 to 17.

About 37% of Native American teens reported using alcohol in the past year. Those numbers compare to other races in that 35 percent of whites and 32 percent of Hispanics, 31 percent of mixed race, 25 percent of blacks and 19 percent of Asians reported using alcohol.

With respect to drug use the survey found that about 31 percent of Native Americans used in the past year, compared with 23 percent of those who considered themselves mixed race and 20 percent of whites, the research found. About 19 percent of black, 18 percent of Hispanic teens and 12 percent of Asian teens said they used drugs in the past year.

Marijuana is still the drug of choice. Prescription painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin have replaced inhalants as the second most commonly.

The study showed that about 8 in a hundred teens met the criteria for substance abuse disorder, which means their use escalated, caused legal problems or interfered with other activities.

It is not surprising that heroin users were the most-likely to form an addiction, but we all know marijuana use and abuse is quite addictive as well.

If you or someone you care about has a drug or alcohol issues please seek help immediately. There are also online drug and alcohol classes and minor in possession classes too.

source: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-15/black-and-asian-teens-have-lowest-rates-of-drug-and-alcohol-use.html

Interesting infographic on Prescription Drugs.

Created by: MedicalBillingandCodingOnline.org