SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah ranks fourth in the nation in deaths from prescription drug overdoses, according to a report issued Tuesday by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"It's not terribly surprising," Utah Department of Public Health spokesman Tom Hudachko said of Utah's high ranking.
Overdose deaths from prescription medications have increased dramatically in the past 10 years, he said.
"Up until 2000, we were seeing about 60 deaths every year, then we hit our peak in 2007 with 326 deaths."
The state saw 236 overdose deaths in 2010, Hudachko said.
Those increases mirror national figures, with the CDC report saying the number of such deaths more than tripled between 1999 and 2008.
"(Prescription drug overdose deaths) kill more people in this state than car accidents do," Hudachko said. "It's disturbing. We've tried to do some things to help understand the problem, but there is no definite answer on what the cause is."
In 2007, the Utah Legislature appropriated funds to UDOH to establish a program aimed at reducing deaths and other harm from prescription opiates.
The department established a public awareness campaign called "Use Only as Directed" that aims to create awareness about the problem and form partnerships with other state and local agencies.
Hudachko said two of the biggest steps people can take to avoid potential problems with prescription drugs are properly disposing of leftover drugs and following the physician's directions.
"We don't want to vilify pain medications," Hudachko said. "But if people aren't using them as intended, they can run into problems."
Nationally, the CDC reported that prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and methadone led to the deaths of almost 15,000 people in 2008, including actor Heath Ledger. That's more than three times the 4,000 deaths from narcotics in 1999.
Such painkillers "are meant to help people who have severe pain," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC in Atlanta, which issued the report. "They are, however, highly addictive."
The report shows nearly 5 percent of Americans ages 12 and older said they've abused painkillers in the past year -- using them without a prescription or just for the high.
Frieden and White House drug czar Gil Kerlikowske say states need to take sharp actions to reverse the long-running trend.
States oversee prescription practices and can rigorously monitor prescriptions and crack down on "pill mills" and "doctor shopping" by patients, Frieden said.
Doctors should limit prescriptions -- giving a three-day supply for acute pain, for example -- and look for alternative treatments, he said.
"America's prescription drug abuse epidemic is not a problem that's going to be solved overnight, but at the same time, we're not powerless," said Kerlikowske, who urged parents to get rid of unneeded or expired painkillers so they aren't misused.
Other findings of the report:
* Nebraska had the lowest overdose death rate at 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people. The national rate was 11.9.
* Fatal overdoses were more likely in men, middle-aged adults, and whites and American Indians.
* Sales of prescription painkillers are highest in the Southeast and Northwest.
Information from The Associated Press is included in this article.
Overdose rates by state
Deaths from drug overdoses, particularly from prescription
painkillers, increased significantly over a decade, reports the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2008, 36,450 people died of drug overdoses — a national rate of nearly 12 per 100,000 people.
States with the highest rates for fatal drug overdoses, per 100,000 people:
1. New Mexico: 27
2. West Virginia: 25.8
3. Nevada: 19.6
4. Utah: 18.4
5. Alaska: 18.1
6. Kentucky: 17.9
7. Rhode Island: 17.2
8. Florida: 16.5
9. Oklahoma: 15.8
10. Ohio: 15.1
Nationally, almost 5 percent of Americans ages 12 and older reported abusing painkillers in the past year. States with the highest abuse rates:
1. Oklahoma: 8.1 percent
2. Oregon: 6.8 percent
3. Washington: 6.1 percent
3. Rhode Island: 6.1 percent
4. Arizona: 6 percent
4. Kentucky: 6 percent
5. West Virginia: 5.9 percent
5. Nevada: 5.9 percent
5. New Hampshire: 5.9 percent
6. Idaho: 5.8 percent
Utah’s abuse rate is 5.3 percent.
Online: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/
To learn more
• Click here to see the complete CDC report.
• Click here for more information and a list of disposal sites.
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