The 38 year old Valencia woman who died this week of narcotic pain relief overdose brought into sharp focus the reporting by the LA Times this week on the same subject.
The Times has reviewed thousands of physician, prescription, overdose, and autopsy reports and say that narcotic painkillers are contributing to the death of over 15,500 Americans a year. The Times also says narco painkillers contributed to the death of over 3,700 Southern Californians from 2006 to 2012.
These are incredibly large numbers. If a terrorist group was killing this many Americans yearly, or some food-born disease was claiming this many lives, we'd be all over it from a military or regulatory aspect. Yet it seems narco painkillers aren't getting any scrutiny.
And it's impacting us even in the SCV. Narcotic painkillers have contributed to the death of at least 12 people in Santa Clarita this year alone, possibly as many as 18.
I wonder if perhaps the heroin threat has been overblown in the SCV and the real threat is from these opiate painkillers instead. Local reporting doesn't seem too clear on that, and it's easy to confuse the two as those addicted to pain pills can easily transition to heroin use.
A reader reflects:
For my brain chemistry, hydrocodone makes me feel wonderful and warm. And that scares me. I'm glad they're hard to get.
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Prescription narcotic overdoses in the SCV
The Times has reviewed thousands of physician, prescription, overdose, and autopsy reports and say that narcotic painkillers are contributing to the death of over 15,500 Americans a year. The Times also says narco painkillers contributed to the death of over 3,700 Southern Californians from 2006 to 2012.
These are incredibly large numbers. If a terrorist group was killing this many Americans yearly, or some food-born disease was claiming this many lives, we'd be all over it from a military or regulatory aspect. Yet it seems narco painkillers aren't getting any scrutiny.
And it's impacting us even in the SCV. Narcotic painkillers have contributed to the death of at least 12 people in Santa Clarita this year alone, possibly as many as 18.
I wonder if perhaps the heroin threat has been overblown in the SCV and the real threat is from these opiate painkillers instead. Local reporting doesn't seem too clear on that, and it's easy to confuse the two as those addicted to pain pills can easily transition to heroin use.
A reader reflects:
I have had two knee surgeries and found that I do not tolerate Vicodin or Narco/Hydrocodone. Interestingly, I found that both Morphine and Oxy masked my pain, but provide no other reactions – positive or negative. Although both were extremely successful in pain reduction I have no desire to use them recreationally. Unfortnately, there are those that hav this desireIn the last five years I've broken a leg, bruised ribs, and received a concussion after crashing my bike. For all these painful incidents, I was prescribed hydrocodone and ibuprofen for pain relief. Unlike the reader, I really enjoyed how the hydrocodone not only relieved my pain, but made me feel in general. I almost started looking forward to treating myself with those pills.
For my brain chemistry, hydrocodone makes me feel wonderful and warm. And that scares me. I'm glad they're hard to get.
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