A visiting US expert says deaths there have overtaken have overtaken car accidents as the leading cause of accidental fatalities.
Dr Andrew Koldny, who specialises in addictions at a New York treatment centre, has told a health conference in Melbourne painkiller abuse has become a public health crisis in the states.
"Overdose deaths from opioid painkillers have skyrocketed over the past fifteen years, " He said
"Each year we set a new record for the number of Americans dying of drug overdoses and then the next year we surpass that record so our fforts to tackle this problem have been failing."
Dr Koldny said while doctors were now more cautious about prescribing, it meant many patients were turning to heroin to feed their addiction.
The conference has also been told Australian regulations on new medications need to be tightened so there's greater scrutiny of not just their effectiveness, but also their potential for abuse.
