Hot on Facebook

Victim of Naked Face-Eater Fights for Life Miami police are quiet on details in the aftermath of gruesome attack »

Deaths Soar as Methadone Use Rises

Prescriptions of effective but risky painkiller up 700%

By Sam Biddle, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 17, 2008 7:01 AM CDT

(Newser) – Methadone, formerly used primarily to treat heroin addicts, is now increasingly being prescribed for patients suffering from debilitating pain. Powerful and long-lasting, it's proved effective for millions, but it's also risky, causing more than 4,000 deaths between 1999 and 2005. The New York Times... Read full story »

COMMENTS

Read the comment policy

You need to Log in to Newser to comment. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now!

There are no comments

A snapshot of the day's best news stories.

View Larger Grid

All Today Yesterday Pick a Date

What's Popular Now on Facebook

Cops Shoot Naked Guy Eating Man's Face on Highway

Japanese Artist Serves Up Own Cooked Genitals

New York Times (Source Grid »)

FDA considers new program to educate doctors about risks of methadone
New York Times

Science

painkiller • methadone

More Newser Stories

Black Kids Not Receiving Equal Care in ER: Study

Odds of getting pain meds lower than those of white kids

(NEWSER) - Black kids don't receive the same emergency-room care that white children do, according to a new study of 2,000 kids who sought treatment for abdominal pain in 550 hospitals. It found that black children were 39% less likely to receive painkillers than their white peers. The racial gap grew even larger amongst kids in more severe pain, rated seven on a scale of 10, ABC News reports. Black and Hispanic kids were also more likely to be in the ER for more than six hours, even when undergoing the same testing as white kids. More»

Painkillers Could Ease Social Rejection

Physical, social hurt function similarly: researchers

(NEWSER) - Someday, painkillers might battle more than just physical pain. The medications could be used to fight the pain of social rejection, too, researchers say. That's because the brain handles physical pain and the hurt of rejection similarly, a study finds. Scientists picked up on the connection while looking at images of the brains of people who had suffered social or physical pain. Physical pain has an emotional aspect, as the brain weighs the gravity of the situation; emotional hurt may likewise connect to the brain's processing of sensory pain. More»

Methadone Stashed in Medicine Bottle Kills Boy, 6

Dad gave dose to son, not realizing DayQuil had been replaced

(NEWSER) - A 6-year-old Bronx boy has died after ingesting methadone stashed by his mom in a medicine bottle. The boy's father gave him a dose of what he thought was DayQuil to help relieve cold systems. He had no idea his wife had stored her methadone in the bottle, police said. The boy collapsed and was rushed to a local hospital where he later died. Mom Raquel DeLeon has been charged with reckless endangerment, reports the New York Daily News . More»

Abuse Experts Tremble Over Powerful New Painkillers

Drugs with hydrocodone may cause more addiction

(NEWSER) - A more powerful version of America's second-most abused medicine is likely headed for a doctor's office near you, the AP reports. Four companies are in the patient-testing phase of painkillers that will be up to 10 times more effective than Vicodin thanks to a highly addictive ingredient called hydrocodone. Critics are targeting one pill in particular: Zohydro, which addicts could crush to bypass its time-release effect and receive an immediate high. More»

No. 1 Cause of Overdose Deaths: Painkillers

Topping heroin, cocaine combined

(NEWSER) - Are prescription drugs more dangerous than their illegal counterparts? In 2008, prescription painkiller overdoses outnumbered deaths from heroin and cocaine combined, according to a new CDC report. Of the 36,450 US overdose deaths that year, 14,800 involved opioid painkillers like oxycodone, methadone, or hydrocodone. That’s a significant increase from 1999, when only about 4,000 overdoses were caused by opioids, the Los Angeles Times reports. Some kind of prescription drug was involved in 20,044 of the deaths. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Deaths Soar as Methadone Use Rises

Prescriptions of effective but risky painkiller up 700%

painkiller • methadone

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Black Kids Not Receiving Equal Care in ER: Study

Odds of getting pain meds lower than those of white kids

Painkillers Could Ease Social Rejection

Physical, social hurt function similarly: researchers

Methadone Stashed in Medicine Bottle Kills Boy, 6

Dad gave dose to son, not realizing DayQuil had been replaced

Abuse Experts Tremble Over Powerful New Painkillers

Drugs with hydrocodone may cause more addiction

No. 1 Cause of Overdose Deaths: Painkillers

Topping heroin, cocaine combined

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?