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PRESCRIPTION DRUGS WERE used in three out of every four overdoses resulting in death in 2014.
Overall, there were 354 deaths from overdoses and 259 of those involved prescription drugs, according to recently released figures.
Benzodiazepines were the most common prescription drug group implicated. The psychoactive drug is used to treat a range of conditions including anxiety and insomnia.
Research officer with the Health Research Board Ena Lynn told TheJournal.ie that benzodiazepines “play a vital role” in overdoses.
In 2004, benzodiazephines were implicated 77 times in overdoses where two or more drugs were used.
However, that number has almost tripled in the past 10 years. In 2014, they were implicated in 228 deaths.
The benzodiazepine Diazepam was the most common single prescription drug implicated. It was used in 115 (32%) of all fatal overdoses in 2014.
Chief executive at the Health Research Board Dr Graham Love said:
It is not just illicit drugs that are resulting in death. Over time we are seeing a rise in the number of deaths involving prescription drugs and cocktails of different drugs.
Lynn added, “These drugs are very important for a number of people – it’s when they are taken outside of medical supervision that they multiply the side effects in the body.
Decreased heart rate, decreased breathing rate, slowing down normal brain functioning – this can lead to loss of consciousness, coma and as the figures show, death.
“There has also been a change in people’s habits, on average two different drugs were used in overdoses in 2004 involving mixtures of drugs, but figures for 2014 show that an average of four drugs were used.”
Alcohol was implicated in one-in-three of all poisonings in 2014 and alcohol alone was responsible for 13% of all poisoning deaths.
This was a decrease in the number of deaths where alcohol was implicated from 140 in 2013, to 115 deaths in 2014.
Opiates were the main drug group implicated in poisonings. Heroin was implicated in 90 deaths and methadone was implicated in more than a quarter of poisonings (98), while 40 people died from cocaine-related deaths.
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The article is very light on detail and heavy on buzzwords. The reality is business and trade is the only way the world’s poor can become less poor – poverty doesn’t need an explanation only wealth does. Trocaire and the like arent going to reduce poverty only capitalism will. Regulations and rules that are fit for a first world country would act as barriers to development for poor countries. Would China have been able to develop so quickly and lift so many people pit of poverty if they had EU standard regulations on labour etc. No of course not
Why for a change doesn’t she propose a total seizure of the “offshore” assets of these unfortunate country’s elites and their return to them under a proper Sovereign Weath fund structure, for social and economic development. Give the so called owners home currency 25 year bonds in exchange.
As for the climate change issue, that will only be dealt with when the burning of vast quantities of coal for power baseloading, is near totally replaced by new generation nuclear and combined Red Hydrogen production, like now being developed in Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uTZWaJU6ho
@Nicholas Grubb: You are misinformed shout Nuclear and red hydrogen. Nuclear plants require a minimum of 15 years to build and bring on line. Even then, we have no viable option for disposing of nuclear waste. The use of red hydrogen requires a whole need infrastructure for this hazardous and explosive fuel.
Trocaire should stick to what they know and do best. They are not qualified to comment on scientific matters like climate change.
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