Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
16,849
23,518
29,813
36,450
41,340
47,055
52,404
Year
Number of deaths
1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014 2015
DEATHS FROM DRUG OVERDOSING
killed nearly thirteen thousand people in 2015. Yet that same year about
twenty-two thousand people died from overdoses of legal prescription
painkillers (such as OxyContin and Vicodin) and illegally obtained or
manufactured narcotics. Fatal overdoses from sedatives such as Valium,
Ativan, and Xanax, prescribed for anxiety and insomnia, are on the
increase as well, more than quadrupling since 2002.
Deaths from drug overdoses in the United States more than tripled from 1999 to 2015.
Americans overdose on opioids, over-the-counter drugs, stimulants, and sedatives.
DEATHS FROM DRUG OVERDOSING
These are the drugs most commonly involved in overdoses:
•
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs
such as antihistamines and
cough syrups. Even acetaminophen (a common ingredient in
OTC pain relievers) can be deadly. In fact, acetaminophen is the
most common cause of sudden liver failure in the United States.
•
Heroin
is an illegal and highly addictive drug that causes
thousands of overdose deaths every year. Heroin is classified as
a natural opiate and is derived from the opium poppy, which is
widely grown in parts of Asia and the Middle East. Farmers cut
Addiction and Overdose in AmericA
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