Reducing Drug Overdoses that Lead to Suicide
Restricting access to prescription and over-the-counter medications is possible.
Updated May 15, 2026 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods
While more people in America kill themselves with a firearm than by any other means, the majority of people who attempt suicide do it by overdosing.
The relationship between drugs and suicide is complicated because drugs are both a means of suicide and a risk factor for it. They are a means because they offer the seemingly peaceful prospect of falling asleep and never waking up. People may not have access to a gun, know how to direct their car’s exhaust, be willing to hang themselves, or want to jump from a high place, but swallowing a bunch of pills is easy and seemingly painless.
Drugs are also a risk factor for suicide because people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol tend to lose their inhibitions and take risks that they normally wouldn’t take.
According to one medical professional, “As the consequences of addiction pile up, from legal problems and damaged relationships to financial ruin and job loss, individuals may lose all hope that things can get better. For some, it starts to seem like there are only two paths to relief; spiraling back into drug use or death.” [1]
There is a third path, to try to stop using, but that can have negative consequences, too. Stopping can mean that painful emotions, which drugs have suppressed, return in force, leaving someone vulnerable and depressed . Alternatively, the person might be clear-headed enough to act on suicidal thoughts and plans.
People who are dependent on drugs or alcohol are five times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population. For women, a substance abuse disorder increases the risk of suicide by six-and-a-half times. [2]
There are several ways to restrict access to prescription medications. Cracking down on doctors who over-prescribe fentanyl, OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet, and other painkillers is one way. Another way, common in some but not all states, are databases that track prescriptions of addictive painkillers so that physicians can see whether patients are “doctor shopping” and getting pills at multiple locations.
For over-the-counter medications, one option is to reduce the pack size. Costco, for instance, sells 500mg tablets of extra-strength acetaminophen (the generic form of Tylenol) in containers with 1,000 capsules. Contrast that with England, which in 1998 passed legislation that limits the pack size of analgesics and prohibits pharmacies from selling more than 32 tablets per customer (non-pharmacies are restricted from selling more than 16 tablets per customer). The British Medical Journal reported that after the legislation was implemented, there was a 22 percent reduction in suicides related to acetaminophen overdoses. [3] Similarly, suicides in Australia from sedative overdoses were fairly common when these medications were easy to obtain, but decreased when access was restricted. [4]
Another way is by requiring blister tabs on certain medications. This means that a person has to press a tab, usually with their thumb or forefinger, to dispense a pill. Only one pill can be dispensed at a time, and if someone presses the tab continually in order to get more pills, they are likely to incur a blister. That might seem inconsequential in situations where a person intends to swallow a large handful of pills at once; however, any kind of deterrent is effective in reducing suicide. The mere fact that it takes a while to accumulate a sufficient quantity can discourage people from resorting to that means or cause them to eject fewer pills than needed to kill themselves, making intervention possible.
The bottom line is that answers exist. Whether consumers, legislators, and pharmaceutical companies are willing to pursue them is another matter.
[1] Ross, Carolyn C. “Suicide: One of Addiction’s Hidden Risks,” Psychology Today , February 20, 2014.
[2] Ilgen, Mark and Kleinberg, Felicia. “The Link Between Substance Abuse, Violence, and Suicide,” Psychiatric Times , January 21, 2011.
[3] Buckley, Nick and Eddleston, Michael. “Paracetamol (Acetaminophen) Poisoning,” British Medical Journal , 2007, published online December 4, 2007.
[4] Mann, J.J et al. “Suicide Prevention Strategies: A Systematic Review,” Journal of the American Medical Association, October 26, 2005, 294 (16), 2064-74.
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John Bateson was executive director of a nationally-certified crisis intervention and suicide prevention center in the San Francisco Bay Area for 16 years.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.