Broward leads state in Rx pill overdose deaths

Sofia Santana

Nov. 24, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- The so-called "nation's pill mill" that is Broward County again leads the state in overdoses involving several prescription medications, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Tuesday.

For the first half of this year, Broward logged the most fatal overdoses statewide linked to the anti-anxiety medication alprazolam, also known as Xanax, with 62 deaths. The county ranked second both in deaths blamed on diazepam, the main ingredient in Valium, with 23 cases, and the painkiller oxycodone, with 67 cases.

Authorities say the three drugs are the most-often prescribed medications at pain clinics around Broward and Palm Beach counties. Many of the businesses are suspected of fueling drug trafficking operations that extend as far as Tennessee and Kentucky.

The report shows the drug problem persisting in Palm Beach County, as well. The county ranks third in the state in deaths blamed on methadone from January through June of this year.

The majority of the deaths are the result of drug users taking several medications at once and accidentally overdosing, medical examiners said in the report.

"A little bit of several drugs combined with alcohol can kill an otherwise healthy person," said Dr. Stephen Cina, Broward's deputy chief medical examiner.

Palm Beach County's Chief Medical Examiner Michael Bell adds that certain medications, such as oxycodone and Valium, can easily deliver a lethal blow if taken together.

"Both depress your breathing," Bell said. "That's not a good combination."

In Miami-Dade County, prescription drug overdose figures were low, with the most-populous county in the state logging single-digit numbers in most prescription drug death categories.

For the rest of the state overall, though, the report offers a grim picture of a prescription drug abuse problem that continues to worsen.

"The medical examiners report continues to document the lethal consequences of prescription drug diversion, abuse, and mixing of prescription painkillers and sedatives," Bruce Grant, the state's new drug czar, said in a statement Tuesday.

"The implementation of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program is underway, but reducing prescription drug diversion and abuse will require a comprehensive approach and immediate action to shut down the pill mills that are fueling addictions and overdoses."

Without the monitoring program, which will keep track of prescriptions in an effort to thwart addicts and prevent pill trafficking, authorities say they are virtually powerless to shut down the pill mills. The program, however, likely won't be up and running for at least a couple of years, officials said.

The report also shows fatal overdoses linked to oxycodone and methadone for the second year in a row, outpacing fatal overdoses involving cocaine, which had for decades been the deadliest drug in Florida.

Staff Writer Jerome Burdi contributed to this report.

Sofia Santana can be reached at svsantana@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4631.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0067-39982263