The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has published a new survey showing that prescription painkiller overdoses have increased sharply among women since 1999. Specifically, the CDC found that deaths from prescription painkiller overdoses among women have increased more than 400% since 1999, compared to 265% among men.  This rise relates to the increased prescribing of these drugs during the past decade.  Prescription painkillers include opioids such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percoset.  The CDC’s survey also found that:

  • More than 5 times as many women died from prescription painkiller overdoses in 2010 as in 1999.
  • Women between the ages of 25 and 54 are more likely than other age groups to go to the emergency department from prescription painkiller misuse or abuse.  Women ages 45 to 54 have the highest risk of dying from a prescription painkiller overdose.
  • Non-Hispanic White and American Indian or Alaska Native women have the highest risk of dying from a prescription painkiller overdose.
  • Prescription painkillers are involved in 1 in 10 suicides among women.

The CDC study also gave these possible reasons to explain the increase:

  • Women are more likely to have chronic pain, be prescribed prescription painkillers, be given higher doses, and use them for longer time periods than men.
  • Women may become dependent on prescription painkillers more quickly than men.
  • Women may be more likely than men to engage in “doctor shopping” (obtaining prescriptions from multiple prescribers).
  • Abuse of prescription painkillers by pregnant women can put an infant at risk.  Cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome – which is a group of problems that can occur in newborns exposed to prescription painkillers or other drugs while in the womb – grew by almost 300% in the U.S. between 2000 and 2009.
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Photo of Kathryn J. Russo Kathryn J. Russo

Kathryn J. Russo is a principal in the Long Island, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She is a firm resource on the legal issues implicated in workplace drug and alcohol testing arising under federal, state and local laws, as well as…

Kathryn J. Russo is a principal in the Long Island, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She is a firm resource on the legal issues implicated in workplace drug and alcohol testing arising under federal, state and local laws, as well as substance abuse management and marijuana laws’ impact on employers.

Kathryn helps clients navigate workplace problems involving drugs and alcohol. She regularly works with corporate counsel and human resources executives to develop substance abuse policies to comply with federal drug and alcohol testing regulations (including all agencies of the U.S. Department of Transportation), as well as state and local drug and alcohol testing laws and marijuana laws in all 50 states. In addition, she defends employers in litigation where drug and alcohol test results are at issue, and frequently conducts “reasonable suspicion” training for employers in connection with their substance abuse policies. Kathryn also advises employers on leave and disability management issues arising when employees seek leave or other accommodations related to substance abuse rehabilitation.