The
New DAWN Report: Emergency Department Visits Involving
Nonmedical Use of Selected Pharmaceuticals
- According to SAMHSA's
Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), nearly 1.3 million emergency department
(ED) visits in 2004 were associated with drug misuse/abuse. Nonmedical
use of pharmaceuticals was involved in nearly 500,000 of these ED visits.
- Opiates/opioid
analgesics (pain killers) and benzodiazepines were each present in more
than 100,000 emergency department visits associated with nonmedical
use of pharmaceuticals.
- Opiates/opioid analgesics
include hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone, codeine, Dilaudid, morphine,
Demerol, opium, and any other drug with morphine-like effects.
Benzodiazepines include alprazolam and clonazepam.
- Muscle
relaxants (particularly carisoprodol and cyclobenzaprine) were involved
in an estimated 28,000 emergency department visits related to nonmedical
use.
- Two thirds or more of
emergency department visits associated with opiates/opioids, benzodiazepines,
and muscle relaxants involved multiple drugs. Alcohol was one of the
other drugs in about as quarter of such emergency department visits.
Reports
on prescription type drugs
Reports
on treatment
Other topics
Other OAS
publications and services
This OAS
Short Report, The
New DAWN Report: Emergency Department Visits Involving Nonmedical
Use of Selected Pharmaceuticals,
is based on the Drug Abuse Warning
Network (DAWN), conducted by the Office of Applied
Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA).
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