On Monday 31 October, young children and teens were hospitalized due to overdose on opioid painkillers. A new study has found out that it spiked nearly threefold in recent years.

It was identified that most of the victims under 10 were poisoned accidentally. Julie Gaither, a postdoctoral in biostatistics at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn pointed out that children thought of it and ate them like candy.

On the other hand teens' case were mostly accidental overdoses. It has been observed that some teens were overdosed due to suicidal attempts. Whereas, it was determined that cases had increased involving painkillers such as OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin was dramatic among both age groups.

In addition, from 1997 to 2012, the data gathered showed that the number of poisonings rose to 205 percent. The age of the children ranged from 1 to 4 years. They were the ones involved in the case that made the percentage to rise.

Moreover for teens 15 to 19, cases increase had reached to 176 percent. The study showed that overall it has 165 percent increase in poisonings from opioid painkillers among those range of age, affirmed RTT News.

Furthermore, cases of poisonings among teens which involved the use of heroin heightened to 161 percent. Whereas, poisonings that involved methadone escalated to 950 percent.

Gaither stressed out that crisis regarding opioid involves everyone, thus all should be concerned and pay attention at its best to the harm it brought to the children. She urged people knowing that their study showed that children have suffered so hard from the epidemic.

It was admonishing that the rates at which prescribed narcotic painkillers have gravely increased. Nowadays, opioids are rampant everywhere, it is frequently exposed to millions of American homes, children and teens, said Gaither.

Gaither reiterated that in August 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ratified the use of OxyContin. Children from 11-16 were the ones allowed to take the narcotic painkiller. According to the doctors, pediatric cancer patients were among those who benefitted from the FDA approval.

The biostatistician added that some teens were no longer taking those painkillers for medications instead they used it to "get high" like a recreational pot.

She had observed that teens take heroin which is cheaper as alternative since painkiller prescription has become costly and lately it has more restrictions, WebMD confirmed.

To repress this rage, Gaither insisted that parents should be vigilant to limit their children access to such drug and their leftover pills should be thrown.

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