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Abstract
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The full report is titled "Prescription Opioid Use, Misuse, and Use Disorders in U.S. Adults: 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health." The authors are B. Han, W.M. Compton, C. Blanco, E. Crane, J. Lee, and C.M. Jones. Summaries for Patients are a service provided by Annals to help patients better understand the complicated and often mystifying language of modern medicine.
What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
Opioids are addictive narcotic substances that include both illegal drugs (heroin) and legal prescription drugs used to treat pain. Opioids that are commonly prescribed in the United States include hydrocodone (an ingredient in Vicodin, Lortab, Zohydro, and other brand-name drugs), oxycodone (an ingredient in such brand-name drugs as OxyContin and Percocet), and morphine. The United States is currently experiencing an epidemic of misuse of prescription opioids, with high and rapidly increasing numbers of overdose deaths. Unfortunately, reliable data about the scope of this problem have been lacking. Such information could help inform strategies to address prescription opioid misuse and the overdose deaths and other health and social problems associated with misuse.
Why did the researchers do this particular study?
To estimate the scope of prescription opioid use, misuse, and use disorders among U.S. adults and to explore the motivations for misuse.
Who was studied?
The researchers surveyed 72,600 U.S. adults aged 18 years or older who were not in the military and did not live in nursing homes or other institutional settings. Of these, 51,200 completed the survey.
How was the study done?
The data were collected through face-to-face interviews as part of the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Survey participants were selected using methods that aimed for data to be representative of both the entire U.S. population and each state. In addition to asking about characteristics, such as age, education, race, and employment, the survey asked participants about their use of prescription opioids during the past year and over their lifetime. People who reported use in the past year were asked questions to identify misuse (inappropriate use defined by things like using the medication without a prescription or using it in amounts greater than or more often than prescribed). When people reported misuse, the researchers asked questions to determine whether it fit the diagnostic description of a prescription opioid use disorder. Use disorders include such features as withdrawal symptoms; use in dangerous situations; trouble with the law; and interference with major obligations at work, school, or home. People who reported misuse within the past year were also asked questions about the main reasons for misuse and where they obtained the prescription opioids for their most recent misuse. The researchers used the survey data to estimate the scope of opioid use, misuse, and use disorders in the United States...
What did the researchers find?
In 2015, about 38% of U.S. adults (91.8 million people) used prescription opioids in the prior year. Of these, about 11.5 million misused the drugs, and 1.9 million had a use disorder. Most people who misused these medications reported doing so to relieve physical pain. About 41% who misused opioids obtained them for free from a friend or relative...
Language: en |