Cause Of Drug Abuse - Oxycodone Rarely The Sole Cause Of Drug Abuse

The vast majority of drug abuse deaths involving oxycodone (96.7%) are related to the ingestion of most multiple drugs, not just oxycodone (3.3%), according to an analysis of over 1000 deaths published in the March issue of Journal of Analytical Toxicology. Further, in this study of deaths involving oxycodone, the specific pain medicine OxyContinÒ (oxycodone hydrochloride controlled-release) Tablets was the only drug which was found in 12 (1.3 percent) of the cases. Oxycodone is a morphine-like pain medication found in dozens of analgesics sold throughout the United States of America.

The investigators evaluated oxycodone related deaths solicited from Medical Examiner and Coroner offices in 23 different states. The results showed that the vast majority of the 1014 cases (919 or 90.6%) involved only drug abuse, with the remainder of deaths due to other causes, such as cancer and other diseases. Of the drug abuse cases, approximately 30 deaths involved oxycodone only; the remaining cases (889 or 96.7%) had multiple drugs present during the autopsy.

Abuse of any medication is absolutely dangerous, abuse of multiple drugs may be a cause for even greater concern, as there is little recognition of the added risks of abusing opioids with other drugs, such as alcohol and even depressants expressed by Dr. Bruce Goldberger who is the Director of Toxicology and Associate Professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Analytical Toxicology.

In an accompanying commentary which was also published in the Journal, James L. Frost, M.D., who is the Deputy Chief Medical Examiner in the State of West Virginia and also the past-president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, spoke of how the current study would provide an excellent means of classifying deaths thought to be drug-related. Deaths that involve oxycodone were examined in a very thorough manner. Frost further mentioned that the DAWN terminology employed by the authors is very useful and is to be recommended.

This analysis sheds light on the nature and complexity as well of determining whether a specific product plays a role in a drug death as per Dr. Bruce Goldberger. This new, enhanced method of classification, based on the DAWN system, will be implemented as a standard for analyzing the deaths involving different drugs.

An Oxycodone Postmortem Database containing 1243 cases was assembled that consisted of solicited submissions from the Medical Examiner and Coroner offices in 23 states in the United States of America over the period from August 27, 1999, to January 17, 2002. A system of categorization developed for this study was based on the federal DAWN system for reporting drug abuse mortality rate data in the United States of America. Only cases of death involving oxycodone were mostly requested. Each case was evaluated in order to determine the role of oxycodone and the specific drug product OxyContin during the death. Oxycodone presence was based on the toxicology testing. OxyContin identification was also based on the evidence found at the scene, credible witness reports, or even identification of tablets or remnants in gastrointestinal contents. A board-certified forensic pathologist and a board-certified forensic toxicologist reviewed each of the case files independently. In addition, following their assessments, two more reviewers performed their independent assessments of each case based on a set of predetermined questions.

• Matt Thompson
• 12/06/2009, 6:59 PM
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