Opiates

Concern about the abuse of prescription painkillers has risen dramatically in the U.S. Of particular concern is the abuse of pain medications containing opiates (also known as narcotic analgesics), marketed under such brand names as Vicodin, OxyContin, Percocet, Demerol, and Darvon. According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), the incidence of emergency department (ED) visits related to narcotic analgesic abuse has been increasing in the U.S. since the mid-1990s, and more than doubled between 1994 and 2001.

• In 2001, there were an estimated 90,232 ED visits related to narcotic analgesic abuse, a 117 percent increase since 1994.
• Nationally, narcotic analgesics were involved in 14 percent of all drug abuse-related ED visits in 2001.
• In 2001, approximately one-third of the narcotic analgesics reported to DAWN were not specified by name (32,196 mentions). Among the named narcotic analgesics, hydrocodone led with 21,567 mentions, followed by oxycodone (18,409 mentions).
• Oxycodone mentions increased 70 percent from 2000 to 2001, compared to the 186 percent surge in mentions from 1999 to 2000. However, mentions of most narcotic analgesics did not increase from 2000 to 2001.
• From 1994 to 2001, the only narcotic analgesic that declined was codeine. Mentions decreased 61 percent, from 9,439 to 3,720.
• Dependence was the most frequently mentioned motive for narcotic analgesic abuse cases (38,941), followed by suicide (24,576), psychic effects (13,949), unknown motive (11,039), and other motives (1,727).
• In 2001, the average age was 37 for patients who attended the ED because of narcotic analgesic abuse.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Service. Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2003, January 1). The DAWN Report: Narcotic Analgesics (January 2003 ed.)