Pain medications can be abused in the wrong hands; but useful to patients following surgery

According to The Los Angeles Times, emergency room visits for abuse of prescription pain pills more than doubled between 2004 and 2008, and the biggest increase (152%) involved oxycodone products, according to a study released in June. “We urgently need to take action,” said CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden. “Emergency department visits involving non-medical use of these prescription drugs are now as common as emergency department visits for use of illicit drugs.”