By skyforbes 
Exploratory Analysis of opioid overdose deaths using Medicare and Medicaid prescription data
It’s no secret that the United States is in the midst of an opioid crisis.
What can be debated is the reason for this crisis. Coming from a pharmacy background, I was interested in prescriptions. Specifically, if I could find a correlation between opioid prescribing and overdose deaths.
Background
The opioid epidemic is a nationwide problem involving both prescription painkillers and illegal opioids, both of which can lead to potentially fatal overdoses.
It began in the late 1990s when pharmaceutical companies began promoting prescription painkillers with promises of pain relief without addiction.
Doctors began prescribing them more frequently and opioid sales skyrocketed.
Thousands of individuals began abusing the pain relievers, many of whom became addicted or overdosed.
OxyContin Abuse
Oxycontin debuted in 1996, and was heavily marketed by its maker, Purdue Pharma, for providing 12 hour pain relief.
However, even before hitting the market, clinical trials showed patients were only getting about 8…