The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found heroin overdose to be the top cause of most drug-related deaths in the United States this year. Using a new software to analyze death certificates across the states, other drugs that cause overdose include cocain and fentanyl.
This recent analysis of overdosed drugs that cause deaths was released last recently as part of the annual drug overdose report. It showed a marked significant difference from the study done in 2010 where the opioid painkiller oxycodone was at the top.
From 2014, heroin rose to the top spot, followed by cocaine and fentanyl respectively. The anti-depressant Xanax sat on the fourth spot, followed by the synthetic opioid pain medication, fentanyl.
This new finding clearly shows how recreational drugs that are obtained illicitly are fast gaining ground. Obviously, an intervention is urgently needed to cut down the number of deaths.
Another interesting point in the finding is that prescription drugs for pain relief and antidepressants need an extensive overhaul to reduce mortality rate, Pain News Network reports.
CDC did release this year modified guidelines to help cut back drug overdose deaths. With regards to heroin overdose, the reasons why it increased sharply within 2 years is yet to be determined.
The latest analysis method used by CDC for gathering the latest data is called literal text analysis. It involves scanning the actual texts in the death certificates of thousands of people who died from a drug overdose. The scan includes the analysis of notes written by coroners and other pertinent variables involved in the drug overdose.
Amidst the new findings, some health analysts are suspicious as to why the CDC report never mentioned the source of the drugs, especially heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. These drugs can be illicitly obtained from drug cartels originating in Mexico and China, but not one word is mentioned in the report, the Washington Times says.
This new finding has alarmed many sectors in the community as the rise of heroin addiction and overdose become an epidemic. According to one study, the number of children left orphan due to heroin overdose has also sharply increased.
