The Health Department released new data last Tuesday, May 14, showing that between 2005 and 2011, the New York City rate of overdose deaths from prescription opioid painkillers increased by 65 percent.
While rates of opioid painkiller overdose deaths increased across all boroughs, Staten Island saw the largest increase over the last several years. In 2011, rates of opioid painkiller overdose deaths in Staten Island were four times as high as Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn, increasing by 261 percent since 2005. Overall, 220 persons died of overdose by prescription opioid painkillers in 2011, including 40 Staten Islanders.
Opioid painkillers include such drugs as oxycodone (e.g. Percocet or OxyContin) and hydrocodone (e.g. Vicodin). Between 2008 and 2011, the number of opioid painkiller prescriptions filled by New York City residents increased by 31 percent from approximately 1.6 million to approximately 2.2 million, with oxycodone accounting for 53 percent of those prescriptions.
“Prescription opioids can be dangerous drugs,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley. “They are chemically and biologically very similar to heroin and, like heroin, can lead to addiction and fatal overdose. Physicians and patients need to know the potential dangers of using these drugs.”
The largest increase of opioid painkiller use was among younger New Yorkers aged 25 to 34-a 227 percent increase between 2005 and 2011. Over 250,000 New Yorkers aged 12 years and older (approximately 4 percent of the population) report misusing prescription pain relievers, according to survey data from 2010-2011, a 33 percent rise since 2002-2003.
To address this growing problem, the Mayor’s Task Force on Prescription Painkiller Abuse is developing and implementing coordinated strategies for responding to the growth of opioid painkiller misuse and diversion in New York City. In its initial report released in January 2013, the Task Force issued new voluntary emergency department guidelines to encourage safe and judicious prescribing of opioid painkillers upon patient discharge.
The guidelines recommend that a short course of opioid painkillers is usually sufficient for acute pain, that emergency physicians not refill lost, stolen or destroyed prescriptions, and that they do not initiate treatment with long-acting opioid painkillers. To date, 20 hospital emergency departments across New York City have adopted the guidelines, including the City’s 11 public hospitals.
The Health Department has also published guidance for primary care physicians and other practitioners in outpatient offices. The Health Department will be conducting door-todoor outreach to discuss prescribing guidelines with physicians.
To further address the problem of inappropriate opioid prescribing, the Health Department has recommended that the FDA revise opioid labeling to ensure that these drugs are marketed in a way that reflects scientific evidence on their efficacy and safety. The Health Department is also advocating that physicians who prescribe high doses receive specialized training.
For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/health.
