Overdose Deaths Spike

The number of deaths caused by fatal combinations of prescription medications with alcohol or street drugs has exploded in recent years in part because patients are being released from hospitals early, according to researchers. Such deaths rocketed from 92 in 1983 to 3,792 in 2004, reports MSNBC.

“The increase is very, very steep compared with almost any other cause of death,” said the lead researcher. The numbers are a sign that patients are having trouble coping with truncated hospital stays, reduced clinical follow-up, and more powerful drugs, he said. "In an effort to save money, more of the burden of quality control has been placed on the shoulders of the patient,” he said.

Symptoms of Prescription Drug Abuse

Prescription drug abuse rarely happens in people who need commonly abused painkillers, sedatives or stimulants to treat a medical condition. But it can be difficult for a doctor to distinguish between a person who needs a larger dose to control his or her pain and a person who's abusing prescription painkillers.

In general, the following behaviors are warning signs of prescription drug abuse:

* Continually "losing" prescriptions, so more prescriptions must be written
* Seeking prescriptions from more than one doctor
* Taking higher doses despite warnings
* Stealing, forging or selling prescriptions
* Excessive mood swings

Here is a list of symptoms on specific drugs:

* Opioid painkillers, such as oxycodone (OxyContin) and those containing hydrocodone (Vicodin)
* Sedatives and tranquilizers, such as diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan)
* Stimulants, such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) — commonly used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Each category has its own specific symptoms of use or abuse.

Opioid painkillers

* Constipation
* Depression
* Low blood pressure
* Decreased respiration rate
* Confusion

Sedatives and tranquilizers

* Drowsiness
* Confusion
* Unsteady gait
* Impaired judgment
* Involuntary and rapid movement of the eyeball

Stimulants

* Weight loss
* Agitation
* Irritability
* Insomnia
* High blood pressure
* Irregular heartbeat

Talk to your doctor if you think anyone in your family, including yourself, may be abusing prescription drugs. It may save a life or your own.

Knoxville doc gets 13 years for oxycontin drug ring

A federal judge today ordered a Knoxville doctor to prison for 13 years for heading up an oxycontin drug ring.

U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan gave Dr. Sanford Kent Myers, 54, a break for his work as an informant but deemed him in need of serious punishment. Myers was charged with conspiracy to distribute oxycontin.

"This defendant wrote during this conspiracy prescriptions for a total of 30,000 oxycontin pills," Varlan said.

Myers admitted at a hearing earlier this year that he wrote prescriptions that co-defendant J. Christopher Ridenour then doled out to people who were paid $250 to get them filled.

Ridenour has admitted that he then sold the pills and paid Myers with cash and cocaine.

Defense attorneys James A.H. Bell and Richard Holcomb told Varlan that Myers had accepted Christ since his arrest and now is a changed man. They also cited his cooperation with authorities.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Weddle countered that Myers only began cooperating after Ridenour agreed to serve as a snitch against the doctor.