Use of painkillers surges as Americans exercise right to cope with pain

Posted August 22, 2007 at 04:00 PM by Katie Drummond

Section: Her Health, Her News

Americans are using painkillers more than ever before, according to data from US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and a recent article from the Associated Press (AP). The volume of five major painkillers sold and distributed in the United States by hospitals, retail pharmacies, doctors and teaching centres has risen by 90 per cent between the years of 1997 and 2007. However, this type of surge might not be a bad thing. Could this surge simply mean that more people are surviving, coping and exercising their fundamental right to appropriately cope with pain?

In the report, the DEA figures show that in the most recent year of complete data, Americans bought in excess of 200,000 pounds of codeine, hydrocodone, meperidine, morphine, and oxycodone. They speculate that is equivalent to 300 milligrams of painkillers for each member of the population. Read the rest of this story at our partner site: He’s Fit