Baltimore Health Commissioner: One-third of opioid-related deaths due to fatal drug combination

Thursday Mar 31st, 2016

While media attention and educational programs are putting the dangers of opioids center stage, Leana Wen, MD, the Commissioner of Health of Baltimore City, says there is a serious related threat that many healthcare providers are overlooking. 

In an Op-Ed published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Wen wrote that 44 Americans die everyday from opioid overdose, but one-third of those deaths are also associated with combined benzodiazepine use. Data from Maryland shows 70 percent of opioid-related deaths were also benzodiazepine-related, according to the report.

Read more at: http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/population-health/baltimore-health-...

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