Dangerous Mixes

In the April issue of Reason, Melinda Ammann shows how overblown fears about the painkiller OxyContin have hurt patients by increasing doctors' reluctance to prescribe narcotics. A new study throws more cold water on OxyContin hysteria, finding that deaths tied to the painkiller almost always involve dangerous combinations with other drugs. The study, published in the March issue of the Journal of Toxicology, is not available online, but DRCNet has a summary.