Non-medical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers Increases

More and more people are using prescription pain relievers for non-medical reasons, according to a new SAMHSA report.

The numbers of individuals using prescription pain relievers nonmedically for the first time increased from 600,000 in 1990 to more than 2 million in 2001.

In 2002, about 1.5 million persons age 12 and older were dependent on or abused prescription pain relievers, and nearly 30 million persons in the same age group reported using these medications nonmedically at some point in their lifetime.

The new report is based on data from SAMHSA's 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, compiled by the Office of Applied Studies. Respondents who reported non-medical use of prescription pain relievers in this survey were also asked to report symptoms of dependence on or abuse of pain relievers. Responses were analyzed by age, gender, race and ethnicity, and type of residential location.

According to the report, young adults age 18 to 25 were twice as likely to use prescription pain relievers nonmedically in their lifetime as youth age 12 to 17 and adults age 26 and older. Males were more likely than females to use these pain relievers nonmedically, and whites were more likely to do so than blacks, Asians, or Hispanics.

According to this report, almost 19 million persons age 12 and older had used Darvocet®, Darvon®, or Tylenol with Codeine® nonmedically at least once in their lifetime. Nearly 2 million persons had used OxyContin® nonmedically at least once in their lifetime.

The survey showed a total of 7.1 million persons age 12 and older were dependent on or abused illicit drugs. The number of persons who were dependent on or abused prescription pain relievers (1.5 million) was second only to the number of persons who were dependent on or abused marijuana (4.3 million).

For a copy of this report, Non-medical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers, contact SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345. Telephone: 1 (800) 729-6686 (English and Spanish) or 1 (800) 487-4889 (TDD). The report can be viewed on the SAMHSA Web site at oas.samhsa.gov/2k4/pain/pain.cfm.

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