PO - Minimize People Starting to Misuse Opioid Drugs
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PO - Minimize People Starting to Misuse Opioid Drugs
Return to Minimize People Starting to Misuse Opioid Drugs
Examples of a Description for this Objective
Minimize People Starting to Misuse Opioid Drugs
Evidence
According to one study, over 75% of the people who entered treatment for opioid addiction who had been misusing Oxycontin were intentionally misusing it and had NOT be prescribed it for any medical purposes. This would suggest that even if people start by misusing prescription drugs (thinking perhaps that they'd never get addicted and then turn to heroin), there should be a significant focus on addressing the things that may lead them to intentionally misusing the drugs. (U.S. National Library of Medicine- National Institutes of Health)
John Hopkins School of Public Health
A multi-pronged approach is needed to address the prescription opioid epidemic, which includes targeting prescription drug production, distribution, prescribing, dispensing, use and treatment that can contribute to abuse; and offer opportunities to intervene for the purpose of preventing and treating misuse, abuse and overdose.
- Four in five new heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers
- In 2012, an estimated 2.1 million Americans were addicted to opioid pain relievers and 467,000 were addicted to heroin.
- Drug overdose death rates in the U.S. increased five-fold between 1980 and 2008, making drug overdose the leading cause of injury death.
- In 2013, opioid analgesics were involved in 16,235 deaths — far exceeding deaths from any other drug or drug class, licit or illicit.
- The prescribing rates for prescription opioids among adolescents and young adults nearly doubled from 1994 to 2007
APHA Recommendations
Intervention strategies that aim to curb the prescription drug abuse epidemic must:
- Improve legislation and enforcement of existing laws
- Improve medical practice with respect to prescribing opioids
- Educate prescribers regarding the under appreciated risks and benefits of high-dose opioid therapy
- Include secondary and tertiary prevention measures to improve access to substance abuse services and overdose harm reduction programs
In addition, policy initiatives must not focus solely on the supply side of the prescription drug abuse equation, which could reduce access to treatment among patients who have a legitimate need for medications to control chronic pain. As such, policy initiatives focused on demand must also be considered, with particular attention to populations disproportionately affected by prescription drug misuse and abuse.
To learn more:
U.S. National Library of Medicine- National Institutes of Health-
[1]
John Hopkins School of Public Health-
[2]
ASAM-
[3]
APHA-
[4]
Decrease Prescription Drug Misuse/Abuse Among Youth and Adults
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