New Dawn Report

[amcm...@actmissouri.org]

Please click the link below to access new information published in the
DAWN report on Emergency Visits due to abuse of prescription or OTC
medication.

http://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/files/ED2006/DAWN2k6ED.pdf

Highlights:

According to DAWN, the total number of ED visits attributable to drug
misuse and abuse was stable across 2004, 2005, and 2006. That is, the
apparent difference is within the margin of error. Across the
different types of drug involvement, changes were detected for visits
involving:

pharmaceuticals alone (i.e., with no other type of drug), which
increased 44% from 2004 to 2006;
pharmaceuticals used in combination with illicit drug(s), which
increased 36% from 2004 to 2006; and
pharmaceuticals used in combination with alcohol, which increased 22%
from 2005 to 2006.

Regarding the significant increases detected, it is worthwhile to
consider that the number of pharmaceuticals
dispensed for legitimate therapeutic uses may be increasing over time,
and DAWN estimates are not adjusted to take such increases into
account. Nor do DAWN estimates take into account the increases in the
population or in ED use between 2004 and 2006.

No significant changes in ED visits from 2004 to 2006, or from 2005 to
2006, were detected for any of the major
illicit drugs (cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and stimulants) or for
alcohol.

ED visits related to nonmedical use of pharmaceuticals increased 38%
in the period from 2004 to 2006. Among
the drugs most frequently implicated in nonmedical use, notable
changes from 2004 to 2006 occurred for
psychotherapeutic agents (31%) and CNS agents (32%). Within these two
categories, visits involving
benzodiazepines increased 36%, and visits involving opiate/opioid
analgesics increased 43%. Among the
opiates/opioids, visits involving hydrocodone/combinations increased
44%, and visits involving
oxycodone/combinations increased 56%.

DAWN is not able to assess whether increases or decreases in ED visits
associated with specific
pharmaceuticals are related to changes in the quantity of these
pharmaceuticals being prescribed for therapeutic
uses.