海角大神

In America's opioid epidemic, a news analysis of several sources reflects a glimmer of hope.聽聽

For the first time in two decades, the number of opioid prescriptions聽, an analysis of聽data by The New York Times found Friday.聽聽

Spurred by increased public concerns about the dangers of opioids, the drop in the number of聽prescriptions reflects a shift in attitude聽among physicians, now more carefully weighing the drugs' effectiveness as pain medication against their high potential for addiction.聽Yet experts聽are unsure聽how聽immediate an impact that fewer prescriptions will have on the crisis.聽聽聽

"The deaths [have still] been rising," Sabrina聽Tavernise, one of the聽two authors of The New York Times article, told PBS聽NewsHour聽Saturday. In 2014, there were ", about 18,000 are聽prescription聽and 10,000 are heroin and other illegal drugs," she said.聽"And overprescribing [has] been very聽closely聽associated with the rise in deaths and the rise in overdoses."聽聽

"The hope is that the decline聽in聽the prescribing is sort of a harbinger or a signal that the life cycle of this epidemic maybe on the down [slope] now," said聽Tavernise聽

The analysis done by Tavernise and Abby聽Goodnough found opioid prescriptions 鈥� which include hydrocodone and oxycodone 鈥� have declined聽since they peaked in 2012. Following the introduction of聽OxyContin聽in 1996, the number of opioids prescribed in the United States聽聽according to a presentation Nora聽Volkow, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, gave聽the Senate聽Caucus on International Narcotics Control in 2014. In 1991, the聽number of opioid prescriptions聽was 76 million. In 2013, it was 207 million, "accounting for almost 100聽percent of the world total for hydrocodone and 81 percent for oxycodone," wrote Dr. Volkow. Starting in 2013, however, the number of opioids聽prescribed nationally聽declined by at least 12 percent. 聽

IMS Health, America's largest聽provider of聽prescribing data, found a 12 percent decrease in聽opioid聽prescriptions since 2012, according to The New York Times. Symphony聽Health Solutions, another medical data firm, found an 18 percent聽decrease since 2012. South Dakota was the only state聽where聽opioid prescriptions increased, according to IMS. The sharpest drops聽were in states at the center of the聽heroin epidemic, such as West Virginia, according to the Times.聽聽

As West Virginia and other states including Vermont and聽New Hampshire聽contended with聽the heroin problem within their borders, Washington started its own efforts. Congress is considering a聽slew of bills聽meant to attack the problem. The Centers for Disease Control聽passed a聽new set of guidelines聽to encourage聽doctors to think hard before聽prescribing opioids. Although the聽presidential primaries shone a spotlight聽on the problem, raising awareness about the impact addiction聽can have聽on聽individuals, families and communities, it is unclear how soon a decline in prescriptions聽will equal fewer overdoses and deaths.聽聽聽

"Many experts say that the drop in prescribing is at best a half victory, in light of the rise of deaths from heroin and illicit fentanyl, a powerful synthetic painkiller," wrote The New York Times.聽"Some addicts who started with prescription painkillers are merely turning to such street drugs or getting their hands on prescription drugs by other means."聽聽

Opioid abusers might turn to heroin because its effect is stronger than prescription medication,聽and it can be cheaper or more easily obtainable聽than prescriptions, according to Volkow's聽2014 presentation.聽