New Number One Cause of Preventable Death

Due in large part to the problem of prescription drug abuse, prescription drug deaths now outnumber traffic accidents as the number one cause of accidental death in the U.S.  While most preventable causes of death are declining, the death toll due to prescription drugs has doubled in the last decade.

Public health experts are calling prescription drug abuse an epidemic.  Highly addictive narcotic painkillers, including OxyContin and Vicodin, account for a large part of the problem.  Anxiety mediations like Xanax also contribute.

The problem is experienced by both men and women in all age groups and economic classes.  Read more about the prescription drug problem in America in this Los Angeles Times article.