A recent analysis of the data provided by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has shown that the US citizens today are taking more painkillers like tramadol than ever before throughout the history. The study comprised a ten year period, and since 1997 the was a 90 per cent increase in painkiller medication consumption as reported by hospitals, pharmacies, and individual doctors.
The figures show that in the last year of the study the US population has consumed over 200,000 pounds of such painkillers as codeine, hydrocodone, meperidine, morphine, and oxycodone. If put in per capita perspective that means that every American consumed about 300 milligrams of analgesics. Continue reading →