Health Alert: Overdose Deaths Continue Climbing In The U.S.

Oxycodone and morphine are involved in a majority of the fatalities

If you needed another reminder to be careful about how you take the painkillers prescribed by your doctor, here it is!  Federal official on Tuesday said drug overdose deaths in the U.S. increased for the 11th consecutive year in 2010. The fatalities, most of them from the opioids “oxycodone” and “morphine,” rose 3.6 percent from the previous year. There were 38,329 drug overdose deaths in 2010. Keep in mind, though, that most of these deaths were from prescription drugs. You get them to treat or deal with a legitimate ailment and you end up dependent. So if you think you’re developing a habit or an addiction to an “Rx,” do yourself and your family a favor and get help now. Reach out to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence at 800-NCA-CALL or visit their website. (New York Times)

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Prescription Drug Deaths Surpass Cocaine, Heroin Overdoses

Doc-prescribed painkillers just as dangerous

Deaths from prescription drug overdoses have become the nation's fastest growing drug problem. The epidemic is killing almost 15,000 people a year; that's more than triple the amount from a decade ago. It's also causing more deaths than from heroin and cocaine overdoses combined. Experts say many people aren’t taking the pills to get high, but are following a doctor’s orders and prescriptions as in 2010 the amount of painkillers sold was four times greater than in 1999. To help combat the problem, the White House is calling for more education, better monitoring systems and stronger enforcement of regulations covering powerful opiate painkillers. (Today)

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Harlem Doc: Multiple Personalities Caused Me to Write Illegal Prescriptions

Once heralded HIV doctor blames one of her 12 alters for making her commit drug crime

A Harlem doctor once lauded for her work with HIV/AIDS patients now says a troublesome alternate personality is to blame for her arrest for writing numerous illegal prescriptions.

Dr. Diana Williamson told the New York Post that “Nala,” one of her 12 alter egos, was the one who signed off on the false prescriptions for patients. She alleged that Nala is a preteen alter ego she developed after being the victim of years of childhood sex abuse.

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“She was naive in her thoughts, and she didn’t understand what was going on fully," Williamson said of Nala. "She thought she was doing favors for people. She didn’t realize it was a crime.”

Williamson is said to have had her dissociative identity disorder confirmed by a government expert.

She was honored by Crain’s New York in 1998 for her work with black and brown AIDS patients.

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