Admissions for Prescription Painkiller Abuse on Rise

Posted on March 23, 2009

Alcohol treatment still heads list but figures decline, report finds…

TUESDAY, March 17 (HealthDay News) — Admissions for treatment of prescription
painkiller abuse in the United States have risen dramatically over the
past decade, from 1 percent of all substance abuse admissions in 1997
to 5 percent in 2007, according to a government report released
Tuesday.

Alcohol was still the leading cause (40 percent) of the 1.8 million substance
abuse treatment admissions in 2007, but has declined from 50 percent in
1997, said the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration report.

Among the other findings in the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) 2007:

• The percentage of admissions primarily due to heroin use was about the same in 2007 as it was in 1997 — 14 percent.
• The
  percentage of admissions primarily due to methamphetamine/amphetamine
  abuse was 4 percent in 1997, rose to 9 percent in 2005, then decreased
  to 8 percent in 2006 and 2007.
• Admissions for marijuana abuse increased from 12 percent in 1997 to 16 percent in 2003 and have remained steady since then.

"The TEDS report provides valuable insight into the true nature and scope of the challenges confronting the substance abu se treatment
community. By carefully analyzing this data, the public health
community can better anticipate and address emerging needs," Dr. Eric
Broderick, SAMHSA acting administrator, said in an agency news release.

The
TEDS report provides demographic and other information on substance
abuse treatment admissions from state-licensed treatment facilities
across the United States. It doesn't include information on all
treatment admissions but is the largest, most comprehensive study of
its kind, according to the news release.

More information

SAMHSA has more about substance abuse treatment.