Nonmedical use or abuse of prescription pain killers is defined as using the drug without a prescription or simply for the experience or feeling it causes.
The results showed the overall number of people who reported any abuse of prescription pain killers or nonmedical use and those reporting use of less than 200 days in the last year did not change during the study period.
Meanwhile, the rate of chronic drug abuse for 200 to 365 days increased by 75%.
The biggest increases in chronic prescription pain killer abuse were seen among men and young to middle-aged adults. For example:
- Men – 105% increase
- People 26 to 34 years old – Up by 81%
- People 35 to 49 years old – 135% increase
Based on their findings, researchers say nearly 0.4% of people 12 years and older or nearly 1 million people in the U.S. would be classified as chronic prescription drug abusers in 2009-2010.
In addition, nearly 2% or 4.6 million people abused prescription pain killers for 30 days or more.
“These findings underscore the need for concerted public health and public safety action to prevent nonmedical use of these drugs,” Jones writes. “Interventions should focus on populations at greatest risk for chronic nonmedical use: men and persons aged 18 to 49 years.”
The Alarming Abuse of Prescription Drugs was originally published on blackdoctor.org
