Pain Killer OD trends

Source: CDC

As I’m sure the majority of you are well aware, the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1101_flu_pain_killer_overdose.html) released information yesterday on the epidemic levels of prescription painkiller overdoses in the US yesterday that has received a great deal of attention in the media.

This web http://www.cdc.gov/VitalSigns/PainkillerOverdoses/index.html has the best summary information on the topic, and includes a call to action for government, individuals and insurers. It also include state level charts. If there’s any good news according to the data presented here, the situation is not yet as dire in Texas as in other states with regard to the amount of prescription painkillers and drug overdose death rates. But drug trends data from Dr. Maxwell’s latest report: http://www.utexas.edu/research/cswr/gcattc/documents/2011Trends.pdf show the situation in our State is indicating an upward trend.

We’ll be glad to assist localize this report/trend to your area. We appreciate your continued efforts to be proactive in our education and positive engagements.