91% of patients who survive opioid overdose are prescribed more opioids

A study conducted earlier revealed that those with chronic pain patients who were hospitalized due to an opioid painkiller overdose continued to receive prescriptions for the same drug afterwards.

According to Boston Globe, Boston Medical Center study of chronic pain treatment published on Monday revealed that more than 90 percent of people, who nearly got killed by opioid overdose were prescribed the same drug after their survival. The increasing number overdose deaths alarmed the nation.

However, a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine stepped forward to ask questions about the one's who survived. Lead author Marc R. Larochelle theorized that doctors who prescribed the same drug did not have an idea about the overdose.

Larochelle, an internal medicine physician said, "Ninety-one percent got another prescription for an opioid,"

He added, "It wasn't because they went down the street and found a new doctor. Seventy percent got it from the doctor who had prescribed before the overdose."

CDC reported that the rate of opioids (including prescription opioids and heroin) overdose deaths opioids increased by 200 percent for a period of 2000 to 2014, as mentioned by ARS Technica. Although deaths due to heroin overdose have increased too, but an opioid painkiller overdose makes up the major percentage of the total deaths.

In fact, overdose due to opioid painkillers caused more deaths than any other opioids. Approximately 16,235 people died of overdoses of opioid prescription painkillers in 2013.

Researchers conducted a new study, in which insurance claim data on 50 million people was examined filed between 1999 and 2010. Then information on nearly 3,000 patients was taken out who were prescribed an opioid for chronic pain. And it was found out that they were treated for a non-fatal opioid overdose at some point in the 12-year period of their treatment.

Claims for follow-up treatment revealed to the researchers that 91 percent of the overdose survivors continued to receive opioid painkiller prescriptions. Out of this, 70 percent of the overdose survivors, who continued to take the drug nearly killed them were prescribed the same drug by the same doctor who prescribed opioids before their first overdose.

LaRochelle said that the blame should not be on the prescribing physicians as this indicates a broken health care system. Physicians are often not notified of the overdose of the drug they prescribe such as Vicodin, as reported by CBS News.

He said, "We need to do something at a policy level and a system level to make sure information is being communicated and better tools are developed to identify and intervene on patients who have risky use and are at high risk for having problems."

According to LaRochelle, the majority of doctors are practicing "in a good faith effort." But the current tools are unable to identify at-risk patients, making things difficult for them.