Scars remind us of the past. They do not have to dictate the future.
Deaths from opioid use in Ontario, Canada have doubled since 1991. The addition of long-acting oxycodone was linked to a five-fold increase in oxycodone-related deaths.
Opioids are among the most commonly prescribed medications in Canada. This study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggests that there is a connection between the higher rates of opioid prescriptions and related deaths.
The study included data from 1991 to 2007 from IMS Health Canada and deaths attributed to opioid use from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario between 1991 and 2004. It also linked the coroner’s information to databases that tracked patients’ medical visits.
Prescriptions for opioids increased by 29 percent, with codeine the most frequently prescribed, though prescriptions for that drug declined during the study period. Oxycodone prescriptions rose more than 850 percent, and accounted for 32 percent of the almost 7.2 million prescriptions for opioids dispensed in Ontario in 2006.