Written answers
Monday, 11 September 2017
Department of Health
Drugs-related Deaths
Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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1281. To ask the Minister for Health the number of drug deaths in each of the past ten years by type of drug in each case. [38981/17]
Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The National Drug Related Deaths (NDRDI) index is an epidemiological database administered by the Health Research Board which records cases of death by drug and/or alcohol poisoning and deaths among drug users and those who are alcohol dependent. The Health Research Board published a report on the NDRDI in December 2016, which shows deaths up to 2014, the latest year for which data is available. The number of poisoning deaths categorised by drug group between 2004 and 2014 are set out in the following table:
| Multi-response: Poisoning deaths categorised by drug group, NDRDI 2004 to 2014 (N = 3,864) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| All poisoning deaths* | 266 | 301 | 326 | 387 | 386 | 372 | 340 | 377 | 358 | 397 | 354 |
| Opiates† | 131 | 159 | 183 | 190 | 219 | 236 | 190 | 260 | 224 | 251 | 249 |
| Benzodiazepines | 77 | 79 | 116 | 123 | 123 | 136 | 131 | 251 | 174 | 238 | 228 |
| Alcohol | 125 | 116 | 113 | 172 | 155 | 143 | 152 | 142 | 129 | 140 | 115 |
| Antidepressants | 54 | 53 | 43 | 48 | 87 | 67 | 67 | 99 | 90 | 121 | 120 |
| Other prescription meds § | 43 | 42 | 41 | 63 | 62 | 60 | 77 | 90 | 103 | 142 | 190 |
| Stimulants (exc NPS) ᵮ | 32 | 46 | 62 | 84 | 68 | 56 | 22 | 35 | 38 | 46 | 55 |
| Non-opiate analgesics | 13 | 23 | 11 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 21 | 23 | 30 | 33 |
| New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 30 | 23 |
| Others/Unknown† | 7 | 23 | 21 | 23 | 31 | 42 | 31 | 30 | 28 | 36 | 25 |
*This is a multi-response table taking account of up to six drugs. Therefore numbers in columns may not add up to totals shown, as individual cases may have more than one drug implicated in their death.
† Includes heroin, methadone, morphine, codeine, unspecified opiate-type drug, other opiate analgesic.
§ Includes non-benzodiazepine sedatives, anti-psychotics, Z drugs(e.g. zopiclone), barbiturates, cardiac and all other types of prescription medication(e.g. pregabalin).
ᵮ Includes cocaine and MDMA.
† includes solvents, insecticides, herbicides, other amphetamines, hallucinogens and other chemicals.
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