Prescription Opioid Use, Misuse, and Use Disorders in U.S. Adults
Authors: Jeffrey A. Linder, Suzanne K. Berman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Letters6 March 2018Prescription Opioid Use, Misuse, and Use Disorders in U.S. AdultsJeffrey A. Linder, MD, MPH and Suzanne K. Berman, MDJeffrey A. Linder, MD, MPHNorthwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (J.A.L.)Search for more papers by this author and Suzanne K. Berman, MDPlateau Pediatrics, Crossville, Tennessee (S.K.B.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L17-0699 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Han and colleagues' (1) main quantitative finding—that 37.8% of persons in the United States used a prescription opioid in 2015—struck us as high. We are concerned that survey respondents and the investigators conflated “prescription opioids” with “prescription pain relievers” and, potentially, other medications.The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) uses the term “pain reliever use or misuse”; has a variable for “any other prescription pain reliever”; and includes a note that, “although the specific pain relievers listed … are classified as opioids, use or misuse of any other pain reliever could include prescription ...References1. Han B, Compton WM, Blanco C, Crane E, Lee J, Jones CM. Prescription opioid use, misuse, and use disorders in U.S. adults: 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Ann Intern Med. 2017;167:293-301. [PMID: 28761945]. doi:10.7326/M17-0865 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Methodological Summary and Definitions. Rockville: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2016. Accessed at www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-MethodSummDefsHTML-2015/NSDUH-MethodSummDefsHTML-2015/NSDUH-MethodSummDefs-2015.pdf on 18 October 2017. Google Scholar3. Hughes A, Willliams MR, Lipari RN, Bose J, Copello EAP, Kroutil LA. Prescription drug use and misuse in the United States: results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. National Survey on Drug Use and Health Data Review. September 2016. Accessed at www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FFR2-2015/NSDUH-FFR2-2015.htm on 18 October 2017. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois (J.A.L.)Plateau Pediatrics, Crossville, Tennessee (S.K.B.)Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L17-0699. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoPrescription Opioid Use, Misuse, and Use Disorders in U.S. Adults: 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Beth Han , Wilson M. Compton , Carlos Blanco , Elizabeth Crane , Jinhee Lee , and Christopher M. Jones Prescription Opioid Use, Misuse, and Use Disorders in U.S. Adults Beth Han , Wilson M. Compton , Carlos Blanco , and Christopher M. Jones Metrics Cited byPrescription opioid misuse among U.S. Hispanics 6 March 2018Volume 168, Issue 5Page: 382-383KeywordsAnticonvulsantsAntidepressantsConflicts of interestDisclosureDrugsHealth surveysMusclesMyalgiaOpioidsResearch design ePublished: 6 March 2018 Issue Published: 6 March 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...