CDC False Alarm By Human Errors

§  False alarm: Prescription pain medications are responsible for the epidemic of od deaths and heroin overdose deaths.

Fact: Deaths from as a percentage of total overdose deaths have declined from 46% in 2000 TO 38% in 2014.

§  False alarm: Pescription pain medications are responsible for an epidemic of heroine addiction and heroin od deaths.

          Fact: No causal link supports an association   between prescription pain medications and the epidemics of heroine addiction and overdose deaths. Association is not causation. Heroine addiction and deaths have increased consistent with the rise of the rate of suicides – a reliable benchmark of mental health-possibly reflecting the adverse influences associated with the criminalization of psychiatry and pain medicine.

         US Deaths 2000 vs 2014

            Per 100.000 Population

 Overdose                                  3                 14.7

Suicide                                             10.1               12.9

Prescription opiates                        1.4                  5.6

Heroin                                               0.4                  3.4            

PPM/OD %                                 46                  38

Heroin /OD  %                            13                  22

Observation:   US has an epidemic of deaths by suicide and heroin overdose. The percentage of deaths from prescription pain medications in total overdose deaths declined from 46% to 38%.

CDC Vital Statistics

January 1, 2016 /64 (50); 1378 – 82

http://www. cdc.gov/mmwpObservation