SILENT KILLER: OVERDOSE DEATHS REACH EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS

After years of calling Utah's highways home, the Grim Reaper has a new address.

He's living in your medicine cabinet under assumed names - oxycodone,
hydrocodone, fentanyl, morphine, methadone. These are prescription
medications that provide effective short-term and long-term pain
relief to millions of people.

Without them, many would suffer terribly and some of those would seek
relief in suicide.

Taken as prescribed, these powerful drugs can make life bearable for
the pain-wracked patient. However, they are also addictive and, when
taken recreationally or otherwise abused, can be ruthlessly lethal.

The overdose deaths they are causing are approaching epidemic
proportions in Utah. In 2006, according to the Utah Department of
Health, more Utahns - 307 - died from overdoses of prescription pain
medication than died in auto accidents (287), or from illegal drug
overdoses (96). Statistics reveal that prescription pain medications
can be indiscriminate killers.

Fifty-one percent of the victims last year were male, 49 percent female.

At least one overdose death was recorded in 25 of Utah's 29 counties.

And the average age of the victims was 41. It's not a new phenomenon.
Deaths from pain medication have been rising since the early 1990s.
From a low of 32 in 1991, the death toll reached 109 in 2000, 201 in
2002 and 308 in 2005. A nominal increase might be
Advertisementexpected. After all, Utah is a growing state and that
means more doctors writing more prescriptions for more people.

But the death rate far exceeds the growth rate. In the past five
years, 1,285 Utahns have died of prescription drug overdoses.

If that many Utahns were homicide victims, everyone would be
screaming bloody murder. Worse, there is potential for even more
deaths as Utah leads the nation in the illegal use of prescription drugs.

A recent federal study determined that 6.5 percent of Utahns age 12
or older used a prescription pain medication without a doctor's order
in the past year. Now, finally, state officials are taking steps to
deal with the problem.

The health department announced last week that it will partner with
other state agencies to study prescription databases to determine the
causes and risk factors related to prescription drug deaths.

When the study is completed in two years, officials will formulate a
prevention plan, develop guidelines for health-care providers and
launch a public education campaign. We're glad to see that the
Department of Health will take its time with the study because the
issue is complex and doctors should not be prevented from prescribing
the drugs they believe are most beneficial to patients. But the state
shouldn't wait to raise public awareness.

Doctors need to be reminded to check the state database to weed out
drug dealers and recreational users who "doctor shop" for
prescriptions they don't need. Pharmacists should clearly warn
customers of possible drug interactions. And the general public needs
to learn that these drugs, if used improperly, can kill you quick.

The statistics speak for themselves.