prescription drug overdose

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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...

Most Addicts Get Pills From Pals

Doctors only give pills to 1 in 5 abusers: Study

(Newser) - Looks like Michael Jackson was the exception to the rule. Most painkiller addicts get their pills from family or friends rather than doctors, according to a new study. Just 1 in 5 abusers use their doctor as their primary source for their drugs, and 69% get their drugs exclusively from...

Ohio County Drowning in Waves of Oxy

Overdoses now leading cause of accidental death in Scioto County

(Newser) - Scioto County sits in the southern tip of Ohio, an unremarkable piece of Appalachia save for the deadly tidal wave of prescription drugs washing over its population. Overdoses have quadrupled over the past decade, reports the New York Times, and are now the leading cause of accidental death, ahead of...

US Military Awash in Deadly Prescription Drugs

Powerful drug cocktails for stress, depression can be deadly

(Newser) - When Senior Airman Anthony Mena was found dead in his apartment, he had eight prescription medications in his blood, including three antidepressants, a sleeping pill, a sedative, and two powerful painkillers—but it was the combination of those drugs that killed him, not his own hand. The US military's medical...

Prescription Drugs Found in Dead Surfer's Room

Friends say addiction not plausible

(Newser) - Speculation is swirling around the death of surfing great Andy Irons after police found a variety of prescription drugs in his Dallas hotel room. Police reports indicate that Irons had generic versions of Ambien and Xanax, and the county medical examiner told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that one of the bottles...

Comedian Greg Giraldo Dead at Age 44

Prescription drug OD suspected

(Newser) - Comic Greg Giraldo died today of an apparent prescription drug overdose. Best known for his work on several Comedy Central roasts and NBC's Last Comic Standing, the 44-year-old died in a New Jersey hospital days after being hospitalized. "The tragic news of Greg's passing hits us very, very hard....

Celebrity Rehab Woos Jennifer Capriati

Star-strapped reality show courting tennis pro after OD

(Newser) - Jennifer Capriati's overdose may have been accidental, but it might be a blessing in disguise for Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew, reports TMZ. The star-strapped reality show is wooing the tennis great, and is willing to pay a hefty sum for her to play, reports the gossip site, having only...

King's Wife Left Suicide Notes Before OD

Shawn Southwick is recovering from attempt

(Newser) - Larry King’s wife left two suicide notes when she overdosed on prescription drugs May 28. Empty bottles for drugs including Ambien and anti-anxiety medications were found in the Kings’ Utah home, along with one note in which Shawn King wrote that she purposely overdosed. In the second note, she...

Simon Monjack May Have ODed

Prescription drugs could have contributed to death

(Newser) - Though the cause of death candidate being floated for Simon Monjack right now is “natural causes,” law enforcement sources tell TMZ he may have accidentally overdosed on prescription drugs. “There were a number of pill bottles on the nightstand in the bedroom, and some were empty,”...

Lawyers for Doc: Michael Jackson Killed Himself

Sleepless pop star administered lethal dose of drug, defense will argue

(Newser) - Michael Jackson, foiled in his quest for sleep despite the use of a powerful anesthetic, gave himself the drug overdose that killed him, Conrad Murray's lawyers plan to argue. The pop legend's personal physician, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, will contend that Jackson was addicted to Propofol and...

20 Docs Subpoenaed in Corey Haim Case

Dead star got prescriptions from many sources

(Newser) - The LA County coroner’s office has subpoenaed the records of the whopping 20 doctors Corey Haim obtained prescriptions from in the year before his death. “We get medical records all the time,” the deputy coroner tells the Los Angeles Times . “What’s kind of unusual is...

Pneumonia Killed Brittany Murphy: Coroner

'Multiple drug intoxication' and anemia were secondary factors

(Newser) - The primary cause of Brittany Murphy’s death was pneumonia, the LA county coroner says, though severe anemia and prescription drug use also played a factor. A spokesman tells the AP the details of the drugs in the actress’ system will be revealed in about two weeks. Sources tell TMZ...

Better Drug Records Might Have Saved Brittany Murphy

She may have been 'doctor shopping,' and if docs had known...

(Newser) - Brittany Murphy’s death may illustrate a grim truth: that “stars’ poison of choice is the legal and prescribed kind,” Rahul Parikh writes. Even sadder tragedies involving legal drugs might be averted if doctors embraced technology as much as, say, librarians. “Libraries are technologically integrated,” continues...

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