ATLANTA, Oct 29, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Methadone is prominent in
prescription opioid deaths and Medicaid enrollees may be a high-risk group, U.S.
health officials said.
From 1999-2006, the number of U.S. poisoning deaths nearly doubled, largely as a
result of deaths involving prescription opioid painkillers, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention's Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report released
Thursday said.
"These increases in drug overdose rates paralleled a nearly four-fold increase
in the use of prescription opioids during this period nationally," the report
said. "In 2006, the rate of poisoning involving opioid painkillers in Washington
was significantly higher than the national rate."
In Washington from 2004-07, 1,668 people died of prescription opioid-related
overdoses and of those, 58.9 percent were male, 34.4 percent were 45-54 years of
age and 45.4 percent were Medicaid-enrolled, the report said.
The Medicaid-enrolled population had an almost six-fold increased risk of
prescription opioid-related overdose death. Methadone was involved in almost
two-thirds of these deaths.
Methadone is a synthetic opioid, used medically as a painkiller, cough
suppressant and as a substitute for illicit opiate drugs.
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