Emergency Department Visits Involving the Accidental Ingestion of Opioid Pain Relievers by Children Aged 1 to 5

This short report uses data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) to examine the emergency department (ED) visits for children aged 1 -5 that involved opioid pain relievers. Hydrocodone (Vicodin, Lortab), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), and codeine are examples of opioid pain relievers; buprenorphine (Suboxone), is an opioid that is used to treat opoioid dependence. The report reviews the trends in ED visits involving the accidental ingestion of opioid pain relievers by children from 2004 to 2011. Data from 2004 to 2011 are combined and analyzed to identify the opioid pain relievers most frequently involved in these ED visits, whether the poisonings involved other drugs in addition to the opioid pain relievers, and the outcome of the visits. The report also includes recommendations about preventing young children from being poisoned by opioid pain relievers.