June 19, 2006 -- Pain Killers Increasingly Abused, SAMHSA Reports

More people started using prescription pain relievers than either marijuana or cocaine in the year before a 2004 survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In a report released today, SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said that while overall drug use by young people continues to decline, the agency is concerned about the growing nonmedical use of pain medications by persons 12 years of age and older. "Abuse of prescription pain medication is dangerous and can lead to the destructive path of addiction," Curie said. The new report shows that 48 percent of new initiates used Vicodin®, Lortab®, or Lorcet®; 34.3 percent used Darvocet®, Darvon®, or Tylenol® with codeine; 20 percent used Percocet®, Percodan®, or Tylox®; 18.4 percent used generic hydrocodone; 14.3 percent used generic codeine; 8.4 percent used Oxycontin®; and 4.3 percent used morphine. Over half of the persons who initiated nonmedical use of pain medications were female. The SAMHSA report is available online at www.oas.samhsa.gov.