Oklahoma Ranked As Top State For Prescription Painkiller Abuse

An insurance industry website says drug overdoses now kill more Oklahomans than motor vehicle crashes, with an average of two deaths per day.

Insurancejournal.com says four of five victims overdose on widely-prescribed medications found in the tens of thousands of Oklahoma households.

The website cites those statistics in ranking Oklahoma as the number one state in the nation for prescription painkiller abuse in 2011. 

The website uses state autopsy data which shows the most prolific killers are the painkillers hydrocodone and oxycodone, often in combination with the anti-anxiety drug alprazolam.

In 2010, hydrocodone was a factor in 153 overdose deaths in Oklahoma, followed by oxycodone at 144 deaths, according to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

Alprazolam, marketed as Xanax, contributed to 139 overdose deaths. Methadone, used to help wean addicts off other narcotics as well as to treat chronic pain, contributed to 99 overdoses. Morphine contributed to 85 and fentanyl to 53.

The OBNDD said street drugs were noted in the deaths of 147 Oklahomans. Meth was present in 99 overdose victims and cocaine in 48.

The website says the abuse is impacting middle-agers and teenagers the most.