%0 Journal Article
%T Past-year use of prescription opioids and/or benzodiazepines among adults in the United States: estimating medical and nonmedical use in 2015-2016
%J Drug and alcohol dependence
%D 2019
%A Li, Chihua
%A Santaella-Tenorio, Julian
%A Mauro, Pia M.
%A Martins, Silvia S.
%V 204
%N
%P e107458-e107458
%X BACKGROUND: The growing use of prescription opioids and benzodiazepines has become a major health threat in the United States, so it is important to document their use among adults to inform health policies or interventions.
METHODS: This study included 81,186 adults ages 18 and older from 2015 and 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Participants' self-reported medical and nonmedical use of prescription opioids and/or benzodiazepines in the past year was assessed along with their demographic characteristics.
RESULTS: In 2015-2016, 41.13% of adults reported using prescription opioids and/or benzodiazepines in the past year; 8.24% reported both, 28.59% reported prescription opioids only, and 4.30% reported benzodiazepines only. The majority of adults used the drugs for medical purposes, including 71.35% of participants who reported both drugs in the past year, 90.36% of those who reported prescription opioids only, and 86.24% of those who reported benzodiazepines only. Younger adults ages 18-34 were more likely to use prescription opioids and/or benzodiazepines for nonmedical purposes compared to adults ages 35 and over.
CONCLUSIONS: In the United States, the proportion of adults who used prescription opioids and/or benzodiazepines in the past year was high; most of them reported using these drugs for medical purposes. Special attention is needed to prevent potentially unnecessary medical co-prescribing of these drugs, particularly among younger adults, who were more likely report nonmedical use of both drugs than older adults.
Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V. Language: en
%G en
%I Elsevier Publishing
%@ 0376-8716
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.04.029