: More Prescription Drug Deaths Than…

When we talk about addiction, we’re not just talking about alcohol abuse or illicit drug abuse. In a report released in July 2005, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University said that prescription drug abuse is skyrocketing. In the United States there is a startling difference between the death rates caused by prescription drugs and more well known killers of our time…

Cause of Death	Annual Death Toll 2005
Prescription Drugs	32,000
Suicide	30,622
Car Accidents	26,347
Firearms	29,000
Homicide	20,308
Sexual Behavior	20,000
HIV/AIDS	17,011
Illegal Drugs	17,000
Anti-Inflammatory	7,600
Terrorism	310

Suicide

1,378 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than suicide…that’s 4% more. Total suicide deaths in 2005: 30,622 One suicide occurs every 16 minutes, with one attempt every minute. The number one cause of suicide is undiagnosed and untreated depression.

Car Accidents

5,653 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than car accidents… that’s 18% more. Total car accident deaths in 2005: 26,347 There were over 6 million car accidents in 2005 costing more than $2 billion.

Firearms

3,000 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than firearms…that’s 9% more. Total firearm deaths in 2005: 29,000 The U.S. has the highest concentration of gun owners in the world. It is estimated that Americans buy half of all the guns manufactured in the world each year. Currently, due to the rise of shooting on campuses, twelve states are considering legislation to allow guns on college campuses.

Homicide

11,692 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than homicide … that’s 37% more. Total Homicide deaths in 2005: 20,308 Detroit is considered the most dangerous city in the U.S. with 418 cases of murder and non-negligent manslaughter in 2006. That’s 47 murders per every 100,00 residents.

Sexual Behavior

1,200 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than sexual behavior…that’s 37% more. Total sexual behavior deaths in 2005: 20,000 Sexual behavior includes infertility, abortions, and sexually transmitted infections. Women account for 80% of deaths attributed to sexual behavior due to cervical cancer.

HIV/AIDS

14,989 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than HIV/AIDS… that’s 47% more. Total HIV/AIDS deaths in 2005:17,011 Currently, it is believed that more than 1 million people are living with HIV in the U.S. Since 1981 more than half a million Americans have died of AIDS - the equivalent of the entire population of Las Vegas. Over 60% of men and women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS were exposed to it through sexual contact.

Illegal Drugs

15,000 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than illegal drugs (including heroin and cocaine)…that’s 47% more. Total illegal drug deaths in 2005:17,000 Drug induced deaths result directly from drug consumption and overdose. Drug abuse is a major factor in the transmission of std’s, hepatitis, and tuberculosis.

Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

24,400 more people died from prescription drugs in 2005 than anti-inflammatory drugs…that’s 76% more. Total anti-inflammatory drug deaths in 2005: 7,600 Anti-inflammatores include ibuprofen, diclofenac, and naproxen. Long term use of these can cause gastric erosions which can become stomach ulcers and in extreme cases cause severe hemorrhaging resulting in death.

Terrorism

Statistics prove prescription drugs are 16,400% more deadly than terrorists. It is not difficult to calculate the actual probability that one of us might die from a terrorist attack on US soil. If we consider Oklahoma City and 9/11, as well as the other attacks on US soil, we end up with close to 3100 terror deaths in ten years. That’s about 310 deaths by terror on US soil per year.

Prescription Drugs

The pharmaceutical industry has spent tens of billions of dollars to gain the influence of powerful politicians, the FDA, and the medical profession to market medications to the public. According to Neurologist Dr. Fred Baughman, author of The ADHD Fraud, the pharmaceutical industry is the biggest, most evil drug cartel in history. He says, “At least the pusher of ‘crack’ on inner city streets does not come in a white coat.” Drug dependency often occurs because patients are convinced that they have a problem only to be remedied by medication. The medication often causes side effects, and the patient is prescribed another medication to treat said side effects, and thus the cycle continues.

For example, currently 5-7 million children have been diagnosed with ADHD. These children are being given powerful psychiatric medications in drug cocktails that are detrimental to them. These medications include amphetamines such as Adderall and Dexedrine, and methylphenidates such as Ritalin and Concerta, the same drugs that most know as Speed. These stimulant drugs cause insomnia, creating a need for sleeping pills, and contributing to an 85% increase in the use of sleeping medication taken by children since 2002. On average, these children wind up on four to five psychiatric drugs.

Between 1999 and 2003 the FDA reported 25 deaths and 54 cases of serious cardiovascular problems, including strokes and heart attacks, linked to ADHD drugs.

There were 32,000 deaths in the United States due to prescription drugs in 2005. There are currently an estimated 106,000 to 126,000 deaths per year due to prescription drug use. Americans often search for a quick fix to health problems, not realizing how potentially lethal and addictive prescription drugs are. Prescription drugs don’t treat diseases; they merely disguise the symptoms, providing care for disease rather than health. The over-prescription of drugs and medication is designed to treat disease rather than preventing it. One may believe that because a drug is prescribed by a doctor, and it can be purchased in public, from a pharmacist behind a counter, that there is no danger involved. But herein lays the root of the prescription drug epidemic.

: More Prescription Drug Deaths Than…

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