According to the CDC, deaths resulting from prescription drugs have risen to become the second-largest cause of unintentional deaths in the United States. Such deaths increased by 61 percent in 1999, growing from 4.4 per 100,000 people in that year to 7.1 per 100,000 people in 2004.
Deaths from psychotherapeutic drugs, such antidepressants and sedatives, nearly doubled, jumping from 671 deaths to 1,300.
The biggest jump among any age group was for those aged 15 to 24, which may be related to a rise in recreational prescription drug use. However, all age groups, except for those over 75, experienced increases of more than 35 percent. Those aged 45 to 64 saw a jump of more than 90 percent.
The data the report used did not separate intentional drug-overdose suicides from unintentional deaths.
Read more: http://www.mercola.com/2007/mar/13/accidental-deaths.htm.
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