US Rx drug abuse rise: worse than narcotics

Florida Detox, a US firm specializing in the treatment of people with narcotic or other forms of addition, has claimed that nearly all its patients in 2007 were receiving therapy for prescription drug abuse. The firm said that, in the past 10 years, the proportion of addicts it treats who are dependant on prescribable medicines has risen from 50% to 95%. The two most common types of product are physician-prescribed opiate painkillers and anti-anxiety medications.

According to Florida Detox, a combination of both types of drug "can produce a synergistic effect causing respiratory depression and overdose death." The firm adds that a majority of its patients have been prescribed both classes of drug by their physician and argues that the latter spend too little time monitoring the mental state of patients to recognize declining mental function. Florida Detox blames both doctors and patients for the "addiction epidemic" and notes that many people could be effectively treated with non-addictive medications if they were properly diagnosed.