Canada's pain reliever deaths double

TORONTO, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- In Canada, deaths related to narcotic pain relievers -- such as OxyContin -- have doubled since 1991, researchers said.

Physicians at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto found deaths from opioid use in Ontario have doubled -- from 13.7 deaths per million residents in 1991 to 27.2 deaths per million residents in 2004.

Lead author Dr. Irfan Dhalla of St. Michael's Hospital said the study also found that the addition of a long-acting form of oxycodone, OxyContin, to the province's drug formulary in January 2000 corresponded with a five-fold increase in oxycodone-related deaths.

"Many doctors are aware that prescription opioids can have fatal side effects by depressing breathing and decreasing level of consciousness," Dhalla, said in a statement. "But we suspect most will be surprised to learn just how many deaths occur each year in Ontario from prescription opioids."

Opioids, also known as narcotic pain relievers, are among the most commonly prescribed medications in Canada used to treat people with moderate-to-severe acute or chronic pain, Dhalla said.

The researchers reviewed nearly 7,100 files at the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario and linked the files with provincial data on physician visits and medication prescribptions.

Most people whose deaths involved an opioid had visited a doctor and received a prescription for the drug in the month before they died, the study found.