<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
FRIDAY, Feb. 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Misuse of prescribed opioids is associated with other high-risk drug behaviors, according to a study published online Feb. 5 in Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Ramin Mojtabai, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and colleagues used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH; 2015 and 2016) to identify 31,068 adult participants who reported using opioids in the previous year.<\/p>\n
On the basis of weighted NSDUH estimates, the researchers determined that of U.S. adults who used prescribed opioids each year, 4.4 percent misused them. There were strong associations between prescribed-opioid misuse and co-occurring misuse of opioids without a prescription, misuse of benzodiazepines, other drug use disorders, history of illegal activity, and psychological distress. There was also a strong association between misuse of prescribed opioids and prescription opioid use disorder, especially among those who misused more potent opioids or started misusing opioids before the current year.<\/p>\n
“The findings call for better monitoring of opioid prescription in clinical practice,” the authors write.<\/p>\n
Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n