In recognition of the fact that prescription painkillers are increasingly playing a larger role in drug-related deaths and addiction, the Food and Drug Administration is requiring stronger warning labels on prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and Vicodin. In an effect to reduce overdose deaths related to these and other long-acting prescription pain medications, the FDA is reminding physicians and patients about the fatal risks of misusing and abusing opioid pain relievers (including extended-release forms of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine). These drugs should be reserved for those experiencing chronic pain that does not respond to over-the-counter pain relievers or immediate-release opioids. Inappropriate use of opioids caused more that 16,650 overdose deaths in 2010, more than 12 percent increase from 2008.
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HINT: Opioid painkillers work to suppress the perception of pain by reducing the number of pain signals sent by the nervous system and the brain’s reaction to those pain signals.
