Nonmedical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers (Analgesics)

The NSDUH Report:  Nonmedical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers

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Highlights:

• In 2002, SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that almost 30 million persons aged 12 and older (13%) had used prescription pain relievers (analgesics) nonmedically at least once in their lifetime.

• The numbers of persons using prescription pain relievers (analgesics) nonmedically for the first time increased from 600,000 in 1990 to more than 2 milliion in 2001.

• About 1.5 million persons aged 12 or older were dependent on or abused prescription pain relievers (analgesics) in 2002.

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This Short Report, The NSDUH Report:  Nonmedical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers, is based on SAMHSA's  National Survey on Drug Use and Health, formerly called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).  The NSDUH is conducted by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS) in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is the primary source of information on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of drug and alcohol use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian non institutionalized population, age 12 and older.   SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use & Health also provides estimates for drug use by State.

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This page was last updated on June 16, 2006.