LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — Accidental overdoses aren’t the only deadly risk from using power prescription painkillers. A new study says the drugs may also contribute to heart-related deaths and other fatalities.

The study involved patients given prescription medicines for chronic pain, including persistent backaches and arthritis. Outcomes for patients on other types of painkillers were compared with those on long-acting opioids including controlled-release oxycodone, methadone and fentanyl skin patches.

Among more than 45,000 patients, those on opioids had a 64 percent higher risk of dying within six months of starting treatment compared with the others. There were 185 deaths among opioid users, versus 87 among other patients.

The results bolster previous research linking the drugs with heart risks. The study was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is warning the public to be aware of a drug that has contributed to several accidental drug overdose deaths in the last month.

KBI spokesman Mark Malick says the drug, U-47700, is a synthetic opioid analgesic drug that is nearly eight times more potent than morphine. It causes sedation and respiratory depression, which can be harmful or fatal.

Malick says the KBI is working with the Kansas Board of Pharmacy and several jurisdictions to quickly make the drug illegal in Kansas.