Canadian Medical Association Journal

Deaths from opioid use have doubled, 5-fold increase in oxycodone deaths

Published in Medical Letter on the CDC and FDA, December 27th, 2009

Deaths from opioid use in Ontario, Canada, have doubled since 1991 and the addition of long-acting oxycodone to the drug formulary was associated with a 5-fold increase in oxycodone-related deaths, found a new study http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj090784.pdf in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) www.cmaj.ca. Most of these additional deaths were accidental.

Opioids are among the most commonly prescribed medications in Canada and are often used for patients with chronic non-malignant pain. Other studies have argued that prescribing is not a major contributor to the adverse health effects of opioid abuse, yet this study suggests that increased rates of opioid...

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Source: Medical Letter on the CDC and FDA (2009-12-27)

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