Opioid Analgesics Most Common Cause of Unintentional Fatal Drug Poisoning in the U.S.
Opioid analgesics, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, and methadone, are more likely than cocaine or heroin to be the cause of unintentional drug poisoning deaths in the U.S., according to a recent analysis of mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics.
The percentage of unintentional drug poisoning deaths involving opioid analgesics has been increasing since 1999, while those involving cocaine and heroin have been steadily decreasing.
In 2002, more than one-third of the deaths examined in this study involved opioid analgesics, compared to 25.8% involving cocaine and 12.8% involving heroin.
A breakdown of the opioid analgesic poisoning deaths for that year shows that more than half involved drugs such as codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine while nearly one-third involved methadone. Relatively few involved the opioids fentanyl and meperidine.
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'Excited Delirium' a Disputed Catchall for Police-Related Deaths
An increasing number of deaths of people in police encounters or custody are being chalked up to a mysterious diagnosis of drug-related "excited delirium" -- a condition that some experts say is rare or nonexistent.
Excited delirium -- a racing heart caused by drug use or psychiatric problems, sometimes described as a fatal overdose of adrenaline -- is increasingly showing up on medical examiners' reports in cases where suspects die while being arrested or incarcerated. The condition first started showing up during the cocaine craze of the 1980s.
In Dallas alone, three police-related deaths were chalked up to excited delirium in the past six months. Cases also have been reported in San Diego, Phoenix, and elsewhere in the country. A number of excited delirium deaths have involved the use of stun guns.
But doctors say that cases of the condition are extremely rare. "For psychiatrists, this is a rare condition that occurs once in a blue moon," said former medical examiner Warren Spitz. "Now, suddenly, you are seeing it all the time among medical examiners. And always, police and police restraint are involved."
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