Fact Fact Fact According to the CDC, healthcare providers wrote 259M prescriptions for opioid pain relievers in 2012, which is enough for every adult in America to fill one prescription. 1 Reactions Source: Paulozzi LJ, Mack KA, Hockenberry JM. Vital signs: variation among states in prescribing of opioid pain relievers and benzodiazepines—United States, 2012. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63:563–8. See all +less − Painkillers, Prescriptions
Fact Fact Fact The average days’ supply of opioids prescribed by doctors in the U.S. increased 33% from 2006 to 2015. 1 Reactions Source: Guy GP Jr., Zhang K, Bohm MK, et al. Vital Signs: Changes in Opioid Prescribing in the United States, 2006–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017;66:697–704. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6626a4 See all +less − Painkillers, Prescriptions
Fact Fact Fact Over half of young adults who misused prescription opioids got them from a friend or family member. 2 Reactions Source: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2017). 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Rockville, MD. See all +less − Addiction, Painkillers
Fact Fact Fact In 2017, 47,600 people died of opioid overdoses in America. 8 Reactions Source: Hedegaard H, Miniño AM, Warner M. Drug overdose deaths in the United States, 1999–2017. NCHS Data Brief, no 329. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2018. See all +less − Addiction, Overdose, Painkillers
Fact Fact Fact Every day in 2017, an estimated 1,300 young adults misused an opioid prescription for the first time. 188 Reactions Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS Publication No. SMA 18-5068, NSDUH Series H-53). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. See all +less − Addiction, Painkillers
Fact Fact Fact In 2013, the United States, which continued to be the principal consumer country of oxycodone, accounted for 78 percent of the world total. 6 Reactions Source: United Nations: International Narcotics Control Board. Report of the International Narcotics Control Board for 2014. Accessed June 2018. See all +less − Epidemic, Painkillers
Fact Fact Fact The prescribing rates for controlled substances among adolescents and young adults nearly doubled from 1994 to 2007. 2 Reactions Source: Fortuna RJ, Robbins BW, Caiola E, Joynt M, Halterman JS. Prescribing of controlled medications to adolescents and young adults in the United States. Pediatrics. 2010;126(6):1108-1116. See all +less − Epidemic, Painkillers, Prescriptions
Fact Fact Fact In 2011, more than 420,000 emergency department visits were related to the misuse or abuse of narcotic pain relievers. 5 Reactions Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Drug Abuse Warning Network, 2011: National Estimates of Drug-Related Emergency Department Visits. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2013. See all +less − Addiction, Painkillers
Fact Fact Fact Taking opioids after wisdom teeth removal increases the odds of long term use. 2 Reactions Source: Harbaugh CM, Nalliah RP, Hu HM, Englesbe MJ, Waljee JF, Brummett CM. Persistent Opioid Use After Wisdom Tooth Extraction. JAMA. 2018;320(5):504–506. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.9023 See all +less − Addiction, Painkillers, Prescriptions