ROCKVILLE, Md.—From 2004 to 2008, the estimated number of emergency department visits linked to the nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers rose from 144,644 visits to 305,885 visits a year, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The study examined emergency department visits for nonmedical use of legal drugs, such as using them without a prescription.

The dramatic rise in emergency department visits associated with nonmedical use of these drugs occurred among men and women, as well as among those younger than age 21 and those 21 and older. The report also found that the abuse of prescription medication is sending as many people to the ER as the abuse of illegal drugs.

“The abuse of prescription drugs is our nation’s fastest-growing drug problem. And this new study shows it is a problem that affects men and women, people under 21, and those over 21,“said Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Gil Kerlikowske. ‘‘The newly released National Drug Control Strategy contains specific steps that all of us can take to address this issue.”

The three prescription opioid pain relievers most frequently involved in hospital emergency department visits from 2004 to 2008 were:

• Oxycodone products – ED visits involving nonmedical use rose 152 percent, to 105,214.
• Hydrocodone products – emergency department visits involving nonmedical use rose 123 percent, to 89,051.
• Methadone products – emergency department visits involving nonmedical use rose 73 percent, to 63,629.

“These alarming findings provide one more example of how the misuse of prescription pain relievers is impacting lives and our health care system,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “This public health threat requires an all-out effort to raise awareness of the public about proper use, storage, and disposal of these powerful drugs.”

The numbers of emergency department visits involving nonmedical use of other types of prescription pain relievers such as morphine, fentanyl and hydromorphone were lower, but they also showed sharp rises during this period – for example, hydromorphone-related nonmedical use visits rose 259 percent from 2004, to 12,142 in 2008. These upward trends reflect in part dramatic increases in the rate at which these drugs are prescribed in the United States.

“We urgently need to take action,” said CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden. “Emergency department visits involving non-medical use of these prescription drugs are now as common as emergency department visits for use of illicit drugs. These prescriptions medicines help many people, but we need to be sure they are used properly and safely.”

For additional information, click here. 

To view the full June 17 press release, click here.   

If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!

Related Content