One in eight teens misuses prescription painkillers
Key points
- One in eight older teens has used powerful painkillers when they weren't prescribed - and many of them start misusing the medications earlier than was previously assumed, according to new research.
- The findings are based on two nationally-representative surveys that asked teenagers about their recent or lifetime use of prescription painkillers, which include drugs such as oxycontin and codeine.
- Both medical and recreational use of such opioid drugs has increased across the United States over the past couple of decades, as have deaths due to painkiller overdoses.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 14,800 Americans died of an opioid overdose in 2008 - three times the number of overdose deaths 20 years earlier.
One in eight older teens has used powerful painkillers when they weren't prescribed - and many of them start misusing the medications earlier than was previously assumed, according to new research.
The findings are based on two nationally-representative surveys that asked teenagers about their recent or lifetime use of prescription painkillers, which include drugs such as oxycontin and codeine.
Both medical and recreational use of such opioid drugs has increased across the United States over the past couple of decades, as have deaths due to painkiller overdoses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 14,800 Americans died of an opioid overdose in 2008 - three times the number of overdose deaths 20 years earlier.
"The non-medical use of controlled medications in (teens) has surpassed almost all illicit drugs except for marijuana," said pediatrician Dr. Robert Fortuna, from the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
"It's just an alarming trend."
Fortuna, who wasn't involved in the new research, told Reuters Health more doctors are prescribing kids powerful painkillers for conditions like back or knee pain - and some of those drugs may end up getting used recreationally.
Medical and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioids Among High School Seniors in the United States
Results An estimated 17.6% of high school seniors reported lifetime medical use of prescription opioids, while 12.9% reported nonmedical use of prescription opioids. Sex differences in the medical and nonmedical use were minimal, while racial/ethnic differences were extensive. More than 37% of nonmedical users reported intranasal administration of prescription opioids. An estimated 80% of nonmedical users with an earlier history of medical use had obtained prescription opioids from a prescription they had previously. The odds of substance use behaviors were greater among individuals who reported any history of nonmedical use of prescription opioids relative to those who reported medical use only.
Conclusions Nearly 1 in every 4 high school seniors in the United States has ever had some exposure to prescription opioids either medically or nonmedically. The quantity of prescription opioids and number of refills prescribed to adolescents should be carefully considered and closely monitored to reduce subsequent nonmedical use of leftover medication.
Sean Esteban McCabe, PhD; Brady T. West, PhD; Christian J. Teter, PharmD; Carol J. Boyd, PhD
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. Published online May 7, 2012. doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2012.85
But that doesn't mean any prescribing of oxycontin or related drugs is a bad idea in young people who really need them, researchers agreed.
Written and revised by
David Cohen, M.D.
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