The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has been taking steps to cut opioid misuse and overdoses by issuing guidelines to doctors who prescribe the powerful painkillers. While the recommendations are not legally binding, the agency urges physicians in the guidelines to only prescribe opioids if there are absolutely no other options, and to only prescribe a few days’ worth of pills at a time.
More Americans take prescription medications than ever before – nearly 60% – and obesity could be to blame.
A new study published in JAMA shows that the number of people taking prescription drugs increased from 51% of the adult population in 1999 to 59% in 2011. Cholesterol and blood pressure drugs are the most-used medications in the U.S. [1]
The shocking truth conveyed by this article’s headline is that “nearly 52 percent of the deaths were related to prescription drugs.” The unfortunate circumstance around so many prescription drug overdoses is that most victims never even knew they OD’d.
