Benzodiazepine overdose deaths soared in recent years from 2016

Not really new, since this is from February 2016 and uses data from 2013.  Interesting though, since opiates are talked about all the time as a problem, and yet benzos are involved in more overdoses than opiates. 

 

" The potential danger of benzodiazepines is no secret: They were involved in about 30% of prescription drug overdose deaths in 2013, second only to opioids...The survey data revealed that the percentage of adults in the United States who filled a benzodiazepine prescription per year increased by about 30%, from 4.1% in 1996, to 5.6% in 2013. In addition, the amount of benzodiazepine medicine -- whether Xanax, Valium, Ativan, Klonopin or other drugs in this class -- in a prescription doubled over this time period..."

 

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/18/health/benzodiazepine-sedative-overdose-death-increase/index.html

I'm wondering if doctors believe that it's okay to prescribe benzos if the person isn't taking opioids. In other words, business as usual. They may think nothing of it, and it's so, so easy to prescribe benzos. Too easy. Thank you for the article! It seems we are getting more articles about warning signs regarding benzos, but then again there always seems to be someone around who will refute them. Very maddening. But I have to continue to hope that the message will be loud and clear one day!

I also think doctors prescribe benzos to help people get off of opiates because they are seen as more of a danger. 

But what's more dangerous than the combination of opiates and benzos? I'd be surprised if doctors are still prescribing them while knowing the person is on opiates with all the overdose deaths attributed to them together. Some people in bluelight are very savvy about benzos and know of long-lasting, painful recovery, saying opiates are a piece of cake compared to benzos. Well, I know nothing about opiates because the only one I took, Vicodin, made me so nauseated and sick that I couldn't go to work and had to quit taking them the first day!