Non-Medical Use of Prescription Analgesics: A Three-Year National Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT

This secondary analysis of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) data examined the non-medical use of prescription analgesics and determined its relationship to continued non-medical use and substance use disorders 3 years later. Prospective data were collected using the Alcohol Use Disorders and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule: DSM-IV Version (AUDADIS-DSM-IV). A nationally representative sample (n = 34,653) of U.S. adults 18 years or older were interviewed at Wave 1 (2001–2002) and re-interviewed at Wave 2 (2004–2005). Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated younger age (18 to 24 years) and non-medical use at Wave 1 was associated with higher odds of a general substance or opioid use disorder at Wave 2 (adjusted odds ratio = 3.42, 95% confidence interval = 1.45, 8.07); however, most respondents who engaged in non-medical use will cease using 3 years later although non-medical use is associated with higher prevalence of a future substance use disorder.

KEYWORDS:

• Prescription
• pain medication
• non-medical
• DSM-IV
• abuse
• dependence
• opioid
• epidemiology

The NESARC was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, with supplemental support from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health.

Supported by research grants DA020899, DA007267, and DA024678 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or the National Institutes of Health.