Study Shows 111 Percent Increase in Emergency Department Visits Involving the Abuse of Prescription Opioid Pain Relievers

Visits to hospital emergency departments involving the nonmedical use of prescription narcotic pain relievers more than doubled, rising 111 percent, between 2004 and 2008, according to a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study used data from SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) emergency department system. It 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 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.

"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."

The study is being co-released in SAMHSA's survey report, Trends in Emergency Department Visits Involving Nonmedical Use of Narcotic Pain Relievers and CDC's MMWR Emergency Department Visits Involving Nonmedical Use of Selected Prescription Drugs – United States, 2004-2008. The full reports are available at: www.cdc.gov/mmwr. The SAMHSA report can also be obtained by calling the SAMHSA Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). For related publications and information, visit http://www.samhsa.gov/.