Inappropriate prescribing contributes to painkiller-related deaths
The mortality rate related to opioid painkillers and benzodiazepine sedatives is rising, according to the CDC. Overdose mortality associated with drugs such as hydrocodone and oxycodone increased from 1.4 per 100,000 people in 1999 to 5.4 per 100,000 in 2011. Opioids are meant to treat acute pain for a short period of time, but most prescriptions are to treat chronic pain, according to one expert.