Materiały źródłowe

• #1 Prescription drug abuse – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/prescription-drug-abuse/symptoms-causes/syc-20376813

  Prescription drug abuse is the use of a prescription medicine in a way not intended by the prescriber. […] An increasing problem, prescription drug abuse can affect all age groups, including teens. […] Early identification of prescription drug abuse and early intervention may prevent the problem from turning into an addiction. […] Prescription drug abuse is highest among teens and young adults. […] Prescription drug abuse in older adults is a growing problem, especially when they combine drugs with alcohol. […] Because commonly abused prescription drugs activate the brain’s reward center, it’s possible to develop physical dependence and addiction. […] Prescription drug abuse may occur in people who need painkillers, sedatives or stimulants to treat a medical condition.

• #2 Prescription drug misuse: Epidemiology, prevention, identification, and management – UpToDate

  https://www.uptodate.com/contents/prescription-drug-misuse-epidemiology-prevention-identification-and-management

  Prescription drug misuse: Epidemiology, prevention, identification, and management […] This topic reviews the epidemiology, prevention, identification, and management of prescription drug misuse. […] Opioid analgesics, benzodiazepines, other sedatives and tranquilizers, and stimulants have important medical uses, but they also stimulate the reward center of the brain. Their use can result in misuse, substance use disorders, overdose, and other serious consequences. […] Thus, clinicians who prescribe these medications have an important role in preventing, identifying, and managing problems related to prescription drug misuse.

• #3 Prescription Drug Abuse: From Epidemiology to Public Policy

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4250400/

  Prescription drug abuse has reached an epidemic level in the United States. The prevalence of prescription drug abuse escalated rapidly beginning in the late 1990s, requiring a significant increase in research to better understand the nature and treatment of this problem. […] The papers in this special issue include a sampling of the latest research on the epidemiology, clinical correlates, treatment, and public policy considerations of prescription drug abuse. […] The prevalence of prescription drug abuse increased dramatically and rapidly in the U.S. in the late 1990s through the mid-2000s, with some plateau since that time at approximately 2.3-2.8 million initiators of prescription drug abuse annually. […] In 2012, prescription drugs were second only to marijuana in prevalence of both illicit use and drug use disorders.

• #4 Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics – NCDAS

  https://drugabusestatistics.org/prescription-drug-abuse-statistics/

  Prescription drug abuse is insidious and widely misunderstood. Young adults are the heaviest users, but older and elderly patients are at heightened risk of misuse and addiction. […] 16M 6% of Americans over the age of 12 abuse prescriptions in a year. 2M 12% of prescription drug abusers are addicted. 82% 4 out of 5 pharmacy-filled prescriptions are opioids. […] 45.8% of American adults used a prescription drug legally or not within the past 30 days. Healthcare specialists generally agree that a high rate of use and availability drives reported rates of prescription drug abuse, addiction, and ultimately, overdose. […] 16.3 million people misuse prescriptions in a year. […] Prescription drug abusers constitute 5.76% of Americans over the age of 12. […] Prescription abuse has declined 13.8% from 2015, when 18.9 million people misused prescriptions.

• #5 Prescription Drug Abuse: From Epidemiology to Public Policy

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4250400/

  Opioids are the most commonly abused type of prescription drug and appear to be the largest contributor to these increases. […] The number of adults abusing prescription opioids increased from 4.9 million in 1992 to almost 12.5 million in 2012. […] Although much of the attention in both the research literature and the media has focused on the abuse of prescription opioids and stimulants, this problem encompasses the range of psychotropic medications that provide potentially reinforcing effects. […] Variability in definitions of prescription drug abuse and in the availability of specific types of prescription drugs limits comparison across countries. […] In the US, increasing rates of prescription drug abuse have paralleled increases in the prescription of these medications. […] Large epidemiologic studies suggest that Native Americans and Caucasians have the highest rates of prescription drug abuse.

• #6 2025 Prescription drug statistics | SingleCare

  https://www.singlecare.com/blog/news/prescription-drug-statistics/

  Prescription drug abuse epidemiology is a significant concern, with around 16 million Americans over the age of 12 misusing prescription drugs, and around 2 million of them are addicted. Many experts regard it as an epidemic, especially for the most widely misused prescription medication: opioids. […] In 2022, around 108,000 people died of drug overdoses, and more than 75% of those deaths involved opioids, according to the CDC. While many of these cases concern synthetic opioids like fentanyl, many also involve prescription opioids. The opioid crisis was named a public health emergency in 2017, and between then and 2023, opioid-related deaths rose 67%. […] The current prevalence of drug misuse is a multifaceted issue. It stems from psychological factors like mental health disorders, stress, trauma, lack of coping skills, accessibility, and social norms; economic ones like poverty and lack of education; plus biological ones like genetic predispositions, brain chemistry, and neurobiological changes.

• #7 Prescription drug abuse in Europe is a bigger problem than previously thought

  https://www.biomedcentral.com/about/press-centre/science-press-releases/04-08-16

  International collaborations across the EU are needed to monitor prescription drug abuse, identify its scope and develop targeted interventions, according to the first comparative study of prescription drug abuse in the European Union. […] This is the first comparative study of prescription drug abuse in the European Union. […] The researchers also found that about 52% of nonmedical stimulant users, 32% of opioid users and 28% of sedative users also consumed illicit drugs this is known as poly-drug use. […] Identification of the scope and prevalence of nonmedical prescription drug use in the EU is an important first step in building a worldwide system that can be used to monitor trends, track risk and protective factors and to develop targeted interventions aimed at reducing the risk of nonmedical prescription drug use, according to the researchers.

• #8 Prescription drug addiction – Wikipedia

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prescription_drug_addiction

  An estimate of more than 1 million Americans misused prescription stimulants, 2 million misused prescription analgesics, 1.5 million misused tranquillizers, and 271,000 misused sedatives for the first time within the past year. […] In Europe, methadone is the most widely prescribed opioid substitution medication, accounting for about 63 percent of substitution clients, followed by 35 percent of clients treated with buprenorphine-based medications. […] In 2019, there was an increasing trend of prescription opioid addiction among Europe. […] In comparison to the West, Asia-Pacific has a scarcity of data on prescription drug abuse. Still, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime stated that prescription drug abuse is a growing epidemic among recreational drug users in South Asia. […] In 2019, there was an increasing trend of prescription opioid addiction in India. […] In comparison to the US, the prevalence of illicit drug use (including prescription drugs) in South Africa is relatively low.

• #9 Prescription Drug Abuse: From Epidemiology to Public Policy

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4250400/

  Individuals with prescription drug abuse are younger and less likely than those without this problem to be married, and prescription drug use disorders co-occur at very high rates with other substance use disorders and psychiatric illnesses. […] Several studies have identified gender differences in prescription drug abuse. […] Much like for other drugs of abuse, the primary developmental risk period for the onset of prescription drug abuse is during adolescence. […] Data from the 2013 Monitoring the Future Study reported alarmingly high rates of nonmedical use of prescription drugs, particularly stimulant and opioid medications. […] Abuse of prescription stimulants was as common as lifetime medically approved use, and abuse of benzodiazepines was also high. […] Rates of abuse are even higher among college students, with data from the Monitoring the Future Study suggesting that 23% of college students had a lifetime history of prescription drug abuse.

• #10 Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics – NCDAS

  https://drugabusestatistics.org/prescription-drug-abuse-statistics/

  Prescription drugs are the third-most abused illegal substance after marijuana (with 19.4% of the population using) and cocaine (with 15.9% usership). […] Prescription drug abuse is most common among 18- to 25-year-olds. Some studies indicate that senior and elderly medicated patients may be at heightened risk of developing addiction due to the number and variety of drugs they take for health reasons. […] Prescription drug abuse generally was not part of national drug abuse and addiction studies until the 21st century, when prescription opioid abuse became an evolving problem.

• #11 Prescription Drug Misuse Prevention | Children’s Safety Network

  https://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/child-safety-topics/prescription-drug-misuse-abuse

  Prescription drug use increased sharply from 1997 to 2007, and the abuse of these drugs is now the U.S.s fastest growing drug problem (Executive Office of the President, Epidemic: Responding to Americas Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis, 2011). […] The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance questionnaire found that almost 21% of high school students reported taking a prescription drug without a prescription at least once in their lifetime. […] According to the Archives of Internal Medicine (2011;171(11):1034-1036), more than three-quarters of youth and young adults ages 18-25 received painkillers only from nonmedical sources compared with 52% of those older than age 50. […] More teens abuse prescription drugs than cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependences Prescription Drugs webpage).

• #12 ERIC – EJ1007182 – Characterization of Adolescent Prescription Drug Abuse and Misuse Using the Researched Abuse Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS[R]) System, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2013-Feb

  https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1007182

  Characterization of Adolescent Prescription Drug Abuse and Misuse Using the Researched Abuse Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS[R]) System Zosel, Amy; Bartelson, Becki Bucher; Bailey, Elise; Lowenstein, Steven; Dart, Rick Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, v52 n2 p196-204.e2 Feb 2013 Objective: To describe the characteristics and health effects of adolescent (age 13-19 years) prescription drug abuse and misuse using the Researched Abuse Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS[R])) System. […] Results: A total of 16,209 intentional adolescent exposures to prescription drugs were identified, 68% to opioids and 32% to stimulants. […] Conclusions: Prescription drug misuse and abuse poses an important health problem and results in thousands of hospitalizations of adolescents per year. Further work is needed to develop focused interventions and educational programs to prevent prescription drug abuse and misuse by adolescents.

• #13 Prescription Drug Abuse: Epidemiology, Regulatory Issues, Chronic Pain Management with Narcotic Analgesics

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3328297/

  Lifetime prevalence of non-medical prescription drug use in 2004-5 was highest for opioids and stimulants (both 4.7%), followed by sedatives (4.1%), and tranquilizers (3.4%). […] The NESARC report also analyzes demographic and regional differences in non-medical use and abuse of prescription drugs. […] Monitoring the Future is an annual survey of high-school students in grades 8-12 and a smaller sample of previously surveyed high school graduates that looks at the prevalence of drug and alcohol use. […] The Drug Abuse Warning Network is sponsored by SAMHSA, and adds additional insight to the scope of the problem of non-medical use and abuse of drugs. […] Although national surveys provide important information on the national burden of prescription drug misuse and abuse, there are limitations with regard to methodology, measures, and sample populations targeted.

• #13 Prescription Drug Abuse: Epidemiology, Regulatory Issues, Chronic Pain Management with Narcotic Analgesics

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3328297/

  The most up-to-date and reliable sources on the epidemiology of prescription drug abuse include the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), Monitoring the Future, and the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). […] NSDUH has provided information on the incidence and prevalence of substance use in the population, and the problems associated with use on an annual basis since 1999. […] The most recent NSDUH statistics for 2008 report an estimated 6.2 million (2.5%) persons aged 12 or older using prescription-type psychotherapeutic drugs non-medically in the past month. […] For the first time, the largest number of past year initiates (first-time users) of illicit drugs for persons aged 12 or older were equal for marijuana use and non-medical use of pain relievers (both 2.2 million).

• #14 The Hidden Dangers of Prescription Drug Use

  https://greenhousetreatment.com/prescription-medication/

  Surveys of teenage prescription drug abusers show that they often receive prescription medication for free from a friend or relative.4 […] When surveyed regarding their source, prescription opioid abusers cited from most to least often drug dealers, sharing/trading, legitimate medical sources (e.g., physicians, hospitals, etc.), illegitimate medical sources (e.g., pill mills), and theft.5 […] Risk factors for initiation of prescription drug abuse mirror that of substance use in general:4 […] Patterns of prescription drug misuse have emerged for certain classes of medications. […] The three classes of medication that are most commonly misused include:5 […] Prescription drugs should only be used as prescribed or according to a doctor’s orders and following all precautions for safe use.

• #14 The Hidden Dangers of Prescription Drug Use

  https://greenhousetreatment.com/prescription-medication/

  Doctor shopping is the practice of acquiring multiple prescriptions for similar medications from different doctors. […] However, the implementation of statewide prescription drug databases has helped to curb the practice of doctor shopping. […] There is always concern about the negative interactions that can result from taking multiple prescription drugs at the same time.3 […] It is also important to note that alcohol use of any kind while taking medication can increase sedation effects, render some drugs ineffective, and potentially trigger a harmful reaction. […] There are numerous possible health issues that may arise when a person mixes the wrong medications and/or other substances, including over-the-counter medications, certain foods, and herbal supplements.

• #15 The Truth about Prescription Drug Abuse

  https://www.heraldopenaccess.us/openaccess/the-truth-about-prescription-drug-abuse

  The elderly are also susceptible to age-related changes in drug metabolism and drug interactions. […] Prescription drug abuse is a global problem, and the growth rate of this phenomenon is faster in rural areas than in cities. […] Prescription drug abuse is a serious issue in high-performance sports, driven by a complex interplay of factors. […] The motivations for abusing prescription drugs include: longing for the sensation provided by their influence, coping with anxiety, pain and sleep problems, and a desire to improve cognition. […] The three most commonly used classes of drugs are opioids, which are usually prescribed to treat pain; CNS depressants, including sedatives, tranquilizers, and sleeping medications, which are used to treat anxiety and sleep disorders; and stimulants, which are often prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

• #15 The Truth about Prescription Drug Abuse

  https://www.heraldopenaccess.us/openaccess/the-truth-about-prescription-drug-abuse

  Abuse of prescription medicines is defined as using them for purposes other than those for which they were intended or in a way that is not authorized by a medical expert. […] Prescription drug abuse has become one of the most prevalent types of addiction in the modern world due to the rise in its use for non-medical purposes over the last ten years. […] It has been determined that prescription drug addiction is an epidemic, and numerous organizations are working to stop its rapid expansion. […] Prescription medication abuse can have detrimental effects on a person’s health and wellbeing. […] Addiction, overdosing, and even death may result from this. […] Prescription drugs are only safe for the individuals who actually have the prescriptions for them and no one else. […] Prescription drug abuse can have several negative effects on the users health and well-being.

• #16 Prescription Drug Abuse: Epidemiology, Regulatory Issues, Chronic Pain Management with Narcotic Analgesics

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3328297/

  New data on mental health was collected for 2008 NYSDUH reports, which revealed that adults with past year major depressive episodes (MDE) were more likely than those without MDE to be dependent on or abuse illicit drugs or alcohol (20.3 vs. 7.8 percent). […] Compared to reports of past month non-medical use of pain relievers in 2002, there are increases among young adults aged 18 to 25 in 2007 (from 4.1 to 4.6 percent), and adults aged 26 or older (from 1.3 to 1.6 percent). […] The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) was originally designed to look at the magnitude of alcohol use disorders and their associated disabilities in the general population. […] The NESARC collects data on alcohol consumption, alcohol abuse and dependence, alcohol treatment utilization, drug abuse and dependence, drug treatment utilization, family history of drug abuse, major depression, family history of major depression, and other psychiatric disorders.

• #17

  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40429-017-0169-4

  The use of social media to conduct digital surveillance to address different health challenges is growing. This multidisciplinary review assesses the current state of methods and applied research used to conduct digital surveillance for prescription drug abuse. […] Our review indicates that the field of prescription drug abuse digital surveillance is still maturing. Though many studies captured large volumes of data, the majority did not analyze data to characterize user behavior, a critical step needed in order to better explain the underlying risk environment for prescription drug abuse. Future studies need to better translate method-based approaches into applied research, use data generated from social media platforms other than Twitter, and take advantage of emerging data analysis strategies, including deep learning and multimodal approaches.

• #18 JMIR Public Health and Surveillance – Online Conversation Monitoring to Understand the Opioid Epidemic: Epidemiological Surveillance Study

  https://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e17073/

  Background: Between 2016 and 2017, the national mortality rate involving opioids continued its escalation; opioid deaths rose from 42,249 to 47,600, bringing the public health crisis to a new height. […] The Food and Drug Administration has identified 5 key risks and consequences of opioid drugsmisuse, abuse, addiction, overdose, and death. Identifying posts that discuss these key risks could lead to novel information that is not typically captured by traditional surveillance systems. […] Objective: The goal of this study was to describe the trends of online posts (frequency over time) involving abuse, misuse, addiction, overdose, and death in the United States and to describe the types of websites that host these discussions. […] Results: Addiction and misuse were the two most commonly discussed key risks for hydrocodone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone. For fentanyl, overdose and death were the most discussed key risks. […] The odds of discussing fentanyl overdose (odds ratios [OR] 4.32, 95% CI 2.43-7.66) and death (OR 5.05, 95% CI 3.10-8.21) were higher for social media, while the odds of discussing fentanyl abuse (OR 0.10, 95% CI 0.04-0.22) and addiction (OR 0.24, 95% CI 0.15-0.38) were higher for blogs and forums.

• #19 JMIR Public Health and Surveillance – Online Conversation Monitoring to Understand the Opioid Epidemic: Epidemiological Surveillance Study

  https://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e17073/

  Conclusions: Of the 5 FDA-defined key risks, fentanyl overdose and death has dominated discussion in recent years, while discussion of oxycodone, hydrocodone, and oxymorphone has decreased. […] This study sets out sustainable, ongoing methodology for surveilling internet postings regarding these drugs. […] One of the more recent additions to public health surveillance of opioids is the monitoring of internet discussions on public blogs, forums, and social media. […] Given the danger surrounding some drugs, these unsolicited expressions could shed light in areas that traditional survey instruments cannot. […] The Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS) System is a compilation of individual data collection programs that collect product-specific and geography-specific data to form a mosaic understanding of the abuse, misuse, and diversion of prescription drugs. […] The RADARS System Web Monitoring Program combines qualitative and quantitative data collection methods; a team of trained researchers collect daily opioid-related posts and manually code them for variables of interest.

• #20 Journal of Medical Internet Research – Scaling Up Research on Drug Abuse and Addiction Through Social Media Big Data

  https://www.jmir.org/2017/10/e353/

  Objective: The objective of this critical review was to determine how social media big data can be used to understand communication and behavioral patterns of problematic use of prescription drugs. […] We developed a typology to better understand non-medical, problematic use of prescription drugs through the lens of social media big data. […] The psychological or behavioral consequence (eg, increased behavioral intention for mimicking risky health behaviors) of engaging with and being exposed to social media communications regarding problematic drug use was another area of research that has been understudied. […] Our critical review suggests that social media big data can be a tremendous resource to understand, monitor and intervene on drug abuse and addiction problems. […] The proliferation of substance use prevention and addiction recovery support communications among social media users provides empirical resources to systematically analyze naturalistic, real-time communications data and to gain time-sensitive insights into substance use risk factors, behavioral patterns, and prevention and recovery processes.

• #21 Prescription Drug Abuse Policy System – PDAPS

  https://pdaps.org/

  PDAPS was created with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to track key state laws related to prescription drug abuse. […] State laws and regulations governing the operation and use of programs tracking prescription and dispensing of controlled substances. […] Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Laws: Reporting, Mandates & Access, 2014-2019.

• #22 Prescription Drug Abuse: Epidemiology, Regulatory Issues, Chronic Pain Management with Narcotic Analgesics

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3328297/

  Another trend is the use of the Internet as a growing source of controlled prescription medications for non-medical use. […] The existence of Internet pharmacies allows individuals to bypass the traditional safeguards placed by the FDA, Congress, and health care providers, thereby placing consumers at risk. […] The epidemic of prescription drug abuse has gained enough public attention to warrant governmental hearings to address this issue. […] The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has been active in addressing the problems with prescription drug abuse. […] Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs were first developed in the early twentieth century to detect and prosecute diversion cases. […] Public education of authorities, physicians, pharmacists and patients can help to inform about the problems of drug abuse, as well as provide warning signs and strategies to combat abuse.

• #23 Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: Evolution and Evidence – Penn LDI

  https://ldi.upenn.edu/our-work/research-updates/prescription-drug-monitoring-programs-evolution-and-evidence/

  Overdose deaths from prescription opioids in the U.S. quadrupled from 1999 to 2015, reaching 22,000 in 2015. This increase has been fueled by a dramatic rise in the amount of opioids being prescribed, creating a vast supply of drugs at high risk for misuse. […] All states except Missouri now have functioning prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) that collect data from pharmacies on all dispensed controlled substances. These statewide databases have many potential uses: they can help prescribers identify patients who are doctor-shopping or who might need substance use disorder treatment; they can help government agencies and medical licensure boards monitor prescribing practices and identify unusual prescribing patterns; and they can inform community-based prevention strategies. […] The overall effectiveness of PDMPs is difficult to ascertain, given the state-specific attributes of each system and the evolving nature of state policies and provider participation.

• #24 E-FORCSE | Florida Department of Health

  https://www.floridahealth.gov/statistics-and-data/e-forcse/index.html

  The Florida Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, known as E-FORCSE (Electronic-Florida Online Reporting of Controlled Substance Evaluation Program), was created by the 2009 Florida Legislature in an initiative to encourage safer prescribing of controlled substances and to reduce drug abuse and diversion within the state of Florida.

• #25 Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: Evolution and Evidence – Penn LDI

  https://ldi.upenn.edu/our-work/research-updates/prescription-drug-monitoring-programs-evolution-and-evidence/

  Using national mortality data from 1999-2008, Li, Brady, Lang, et al. (2014) found that implementation of a PDMP did not reduce drug overdose deaths in most states, although the impact varied considerably by state. […] Other studies have shown more promising results. Patrick, Fry, Jones Buntin (2016) focused on 34 states that had implemented a PDMP from 1999-2013 and found that a states implementation of a program was associated with an average reduction of 1.12 prescription opioid-related overdose deaths per 100,000 population in the year after implementation. […] Similarly, Pardo (2017) studied programs between 1999 and 2014, and found that states that had more robust PDMPs have fewer prescription opioid overdose deaths than states with weaker ones.

• #26 Fellow Successfully Defends Dissertation on Prescription Drug Abuse and Doctor Shopping » College of Public Health & Health Professions » University of Florida

  https://phhp.ufl.edu/2014/07/03/fellow-successfully-defends-dissertation-on-prescription-drug-abuse-and-doctor-shopping/

  Chris Delcher, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and fellow of the Institute for Child Health Policy, successfully defended his dissertation, entitled Monitoring Prescription Opioid Abuse and Doctor Shopping: An Epidemiologic Perspective in Person, Place, and Time on Thursday, June 12. […] In order to help address the growing national epidemic of prescription drug abuse, Delcher conducted three in-depth studies. The first study examined the impact of Florida’s prescription drug monitoring program, which is an electronic database, on the mortality rate from prescription drug abuse. Delcher found that the program reduced the number of deaths from oxycodone overdose by 25 percent, and his efforts represent the first exploration of the impact of the database on mortality since the database was implemented in 2011.

• #27 NAVIPPRO – Public Health Surveillance System– Uprise Health

  https://uprisehealth.com/resources/national-addictions-vigilance-intervention-and-prevention-program-navipprotm-a-real-time-product-specific-public-health-surveillance-system-for-monitoring-prescription-drug-abuse/

  Based on a recent study, our team has published an article in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety titled, National addictions vigilance intervention and prevention program (NAVIPPROTM): a real-time, product-specific, public health surveillance system for monitoring prescription drug abuse. […] The National Addictions Vigilance Intervention and Prevention Program (NAVIPPRO) is a scientific, comprehensive risk management program for scheduled therapeutics. NAVIPPRO provides post-marketing surveillance, signal detection, signal verification and prevention and intervention programs. […] Here we focus on one component of NAVIPPRO surveillance, the Addiction Severity Index-Multimedia Version (ASI-MV) Connect, a continuous, real-time, national data stream that assesses pharmaceutical abuse by patients entering substance abuse treatment by collecting product-specific, geographically-detailed information.

• #28 Opioid and Drug Overdose Statistics

  https://portal.ct.gov/dph/health-education-management–surveillance/the-office-of-injury-prevention/opioid-and-drug-overdose-statistics

  In Connecticut, residents are more likely to die from unintentional drug overdose than a motor vehicle crash. The majority of these deaths are linked to overdose of illicit opioids. According to the CDC, the 2022 Connecticut age-adjusted rate for unintentional drug-induced mortality was 38.3 per 100,000 population compared to the 2022 national rate of 30.1. […] The Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT DPH) is funded by the CDC to participate in the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) to collect comprehensive data on unintentional and undetermined intent overdose deaths within the state. Data is abstracted from multiple data sources including death certificates, medical examiner reports, and postmortem toxicology results. SUDORS captures information on variables such as demographics, circumstances, scene evidence, and substances contributing to the death for each overdose death.

• #29 Opioid and Drug Overdose Statistics

  https://portal.ct.gov/dph/health-education-management–surveillance/the-office-of-injury-prevention/opioid-and-drug-overdose-statistics

  The CT DPH uses syndromic surveillance system data from the EpiCenter system to provide near real-time estimates of emergency department (ED) utilization for suspected drug overdoses in order to quickly detect and respond to changes in patterns of both fatal and nonfatal overdoses. […] The nonfatal drug overdose data on this dashboard come from CDCs Drug Overdose Surveillance and Epidemiology (DOSE) system, which captures electronic health record information in syndromic surveillance systems. This dashboard represents the most up-to-date data that the CDCs DOSE system has available and is updated shortly after new data are made available each month. Currently, 47 states and the District of Columbia share data with DOSE, and states that do not share these data are labeled data not available or unfunded state.

• #30 Geographic Determinants and Spatial Epidemiology of Prescription Drug Abuse: A Comprehensive Analysis of Distribution Patterns, Treatment Accessibility and Intervention Strategies – IJFMR

  https://www.ijfmr.com/research-paper.php?id=31918

  Geographic Determinants and Spatial Epidemiology of Prescription Drug Abuse: A Comprehensive Analysis of Distribution Patterns, Treatment Accessibility and Intervention Strategies. This study examines the complex spatial patterns and geographic variations in prescription drug abuse, analyzing their impact on treatment outcomes and public health interventions. Through comprehensive spatial epidemiological analysis, we investigate how geographic factors influence abuse patterns across urban, suburban, and rural landscapes. Our findings reveal significant geographic disparities in treatment accessibility, with rural areas facing substantial barriers to addiction services compared to urban centers. Analysis of prescription drug monitoring programs demonstrates varying effectiveness across regions, highlighting the need for spatially-tailored interventions. Advanced spatial analysis techniques, including geospatial mapping and hotspot analysis, revealed significant correlations between geographic determinants and abuse patterns. Results indicate that proximity to healthcare facilities, pharmaceutical distribution networks, and demographic characteristics contribute to localized risk profiles. This research emphasizes the importance of developing geographically-informed approaches to combat prescription drug abuse, suggesting that intervention strategies should be tailored to specific regional contexts while addressing broader systemic issues. The findings have significant implications for public health policy, healthcare resource allocation, and the development of targeted prevention strategies. […] The study identifies distinct regional profiles of drug misuse, influenced by factors including healthcare infrastructure, cultural norms, and local regulatory environments.

• #31 Prescription Drug Addiction: Public Health Fight | Online Masters in Public Health

  https://mphdegree.usc.edu/blog/prescription-drug-addiction-and-overdose-a-public-health-fight

  Prescription drug addiction is a significant issue for officials in the US. […] The CDC report reveals that states in the South and the Midwest had double the mortality rates due to drug overdose, while the rate in West Virginia increased by 500 percent. […] The data from the ASAM shows that adolescents and young adults are among the highest groups at risk for drug addiction. […] Prescription drug addiction has become a public health crisis in the U.S., and the number of overdoses has increased as well. […] The ASAM reports that many of those addicted to prescription pain pills will begin using heroin. […] Understanding this public health crisis could be the first step in reducing the number of people who are addicted to prescription drugs and lowering the overdose rate.

• #32 JMIR Public Health and Surveillance – Online Conversation Monitoring to Understand the Opioid Epidemic: Epidemiological Surveillance Study

  https://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/2/e17073/

  The purpose of this study was to characterize the trends of abuse, misuse, addiction, overdose, and death in the United States using internet posts that mention fentanyl, hydrocodone, oxycodone, or oxymorphone and to establish a sustainable ongoing methodology for surveilling internet postings regarding these drugs. […] The estimated numbers of posts that discussed misuse, abuse, and addiction decreased for hydrocodone, oxycodone, and oxymorphone over the surveillance period, which is not surprising since prescription guidelines have tightened the availability of these drugs. […] This could result in selection bias in studies that focus only on social media. […] Our results indicated that content originated from different sectors of the internet for addiction and death discussions, and qualitative analyses that focus only on subregions of the internet could miss important information on these key risks.

• #33

  https://journals.lww.com/pain/fulltext/2025/05000/comparative_risk_of_mortality_in_new_users_of.17.aspx

  Over the past 2 decades, there has been a considerable surge in opioid prescriptions for noncancer pain, garnering international attention in various countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The alarming rise in opioid-related deaths, attributed to both prescription and illicit opioids, has given rise to a major public health crisis in North America, with emerging concerns spreading across Europe. In the United States alone, deaths resulting from opioid overdoses have exhibited a steady increase, soaring from less than 20,000 in 2005 to nearly 80,500 in 2021. Similarly in Canada and the United Kingdom, opioid-related fatalities have continued to climb with approximately half of all drug-poisoning deaths in England involving an opioid in 2021. Notably, a substantial portion of individuals who use heroin initiate their drug use with prescription opioids.

• #33

  https://journals.lww.com/pain/fulltext/2025/05000/comparative_risk_of_mortality_in_new_users_of.17.aspx

  The international pharmacosurveillance study has been successful in providing timely information about drug safety and new opportunities to estimate potential sources of bias previously. We have previously published on the patient characteristics and prescribing practices across these jurisdictions previously. By evaluating mortality risk across 3 countries, we explore differences in prescribing patterns internationally, while increasing the number of outcomes for greater precision and generalizability of the results. The aim of the study was to examine the comparative risk of all-cause mortality in patients newly initiated on opioids for noncancer pain, across 3 jurisdictions in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada. […] Compared with codeine, patients using morphine had a significantly higher adjusted risk of mortality in the UK {hazard ratio (HR): 12.58 [95% confidence interval (CI), 11.87-13.32]}, US (HR: 8.62 [95% CI, 3.34-22.27]), and Canadian cohorts (HR: 6.69; [95% CI, 1.35-32.22]). A higher risk of death with morphine was observed across subgroups of patients with any pain diagnosis (UK: HRs, 10.29; [95% CI, 9.09-11.65]; US: HR, 5.49, [95% CI, 1.59-19.0]) and patients with back pain (UK: HR, 9.15; [95% CI, 7.69-10.89]). A similar effect was observed in fentanyl-treated patients with a higher risk of death observed in all 3 pain groups in the United Kingdom (all patients: HR, 11.35 [95% CI, 10.69-12.04]); (any pain diagnosis: HR, 8.02 [95% CI, 7.03-9.13]; back pain: HR, 6.47; 95% CI, 5.37-7.80]) and across all patients in the Canadian cohort (HR: 5.40 [95% CI, 1.12-26.05]).

• #34

  https://journals.lww.com/pain/fulltext/2025/05000/comparative_risk_of_mortality_in_new_users_of.17.aspx

  The results of the fully adjusted models in the UK, US, and Canadian cohorts comparing between the drugs is presented in Tables 24, respectively. The UK cohort represented the largest cohort, with significant differences in adjusted risk of death observed between the opioids. In addition to morphine and fentanyl, the opioid drug substances associated with a higher adjusted risk of death compared with codeine in descending order of risk were as follows: being on combination of opioids (HR, 7.72 [95% CI, 7.30-8.16]), buprenorphine (HR, 5.74 [95% CI, 5.41-6.10]), and oxycodone (HR, 3.56 [95% CI, 2.94-4.31]). A significantly higher risk was also observed across the respective opioids in patients with a specific pain diagnosis and back pain diagnosis at baseline. […] In this international multicohort study that included patients newly initiated on an opioid, significant differences in risk of death between opioids were observed. Compared with codeine, stronger opioids, such as morphine, fentanyl, buprenorphine, oxycodone, and combination opioids, were associated with a higher risk of death. Mortality risk was higher in patients on 50MME/day or more, in the UK and US cohorts specifically. Certain drug classes used concomitantly with opioids particularly antipsychotics (in United Kingdom/United States), benzodiazepines (United Kingdom), and gabapentinoids (United States) also conferred a higher risk of death.

• #35 Prescription Drug Abuse: From Epidemiology to Public Policy

  https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4250400/

  Youth and adolescents with other substance use disorders are more likely to abuse prescription drugs. […] Research on the prediction of risk groups for the development of prescription drug abuse among medical users has been mostly cross-sectional. […] Although more research is needed in this area, the rates of prescription drug abuse among those with a legitimate prescription for a psychoactive medication highlight the importance of assessing for diversion, abuse, and other aberrant behaviors. […] Communication among clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders will require coordination of efforts to understand this problem and to better coordinate prevention and treatment. […] Addressing this problem will require involvement of a range of stakeholders and intervention at various levels, such as increased prescriber education and prescription monitoring, improvement in access to evidence-based substance use disorder treatment, enhanced understanding of optimal treatment approaches, and adjustments to policy to provide public health level supports.

• #36 The Truth about Prescription Drug Abuse

  https://www.heraldopenaccess.us/openaccess/the-truth-about-prescription-drug-abuse

  Prescription drug misuse is a serious concern, and it is vital to obtain help while coping with the epidemic of prescription medicine abuse. […] The negative consequences of abused prescription drugs are reflected in key indicators of opioid painkiller abuse that have risen over the years. […] Unintentional overdose deaths include prescription opioids that have increased and now outnumber heroin and cocaine combined. […] The economic cost of death and loss of productivity must also be added. Each year, prescription drug abuse and addiction cost taxpayers in preventable medical care, law enforcement, crime, and other additional costs.

• #37 Prescription Drug Abuse (for Teens) | Nemours KidsHealth

  https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/prescription-drug-abuse.html

  Taking prescription drugs in a way that hasn’t been recommended by a doctor can be more dangerous than people think. In fact, it’s drug abuse. And it’s illegal, just like taking street drugs. […] The dangers of prescription drug abuse can be even worse if people take drugs in a way they weren’t intended to be used. […] Probably the most common risk of prescription drug abuse is addiction. People who abuse medicines can become addicted as easily as if they were taking street drugs.

• #38

  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00637747

  Data on forged prescriptions in Sweden in 19821986 were studied as an indicator in an epidemiological survey of medication abuse. […] The annual number of prescription forgeries doubled during the 5-year period. […] It is suggested that the data on forged prescriptions can be used as a signalling mechanism in epidemiological surveillance of medication abuse, aimed at detecting changes in the prevalence as well as in the pattern of abuse.

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