Prescription drug overdose mortality is documented and its economic consequences estimated for Texas in 1978. 117 of 397 total drug related deaths were due to the use of barbiturates, tranquilizers, and anti-depressants. Another eighty-five deaths were due to mixing these with other drugs. The economic cost of mortality exceeded $43 million, of which 52 per cent was due to prescription drug overdose. Given questions concerning the efficacy of these drugs, the results indicate a need for a more careful examination of the relative benefits and costs of their continued widespread use.
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