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Prescription opioid misuse and comorbid substance use: Past 30‐day prevalence, correlates and co‐occurring behavioral indicators in the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Author(s) -
Grigsby Timothy J.,
Howard Jeffrey T.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the american journal on addictions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.997
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-0391
pISSN - 1055-0496
DOI - 10.1111/ajad.12866
Subject(s) - medical prescription , medicine , prescription drug misuse , psychiatry , opioid , context (archaeology) , substance abuse , comorbidity , mental health , recreational drug use , drug , addiction , opioid use disorder , pharmacology , paleontology , receptor , biology
Background and Objectives Prescription opioid misuse has not been well examined in the context of comorbid substance use in representative samples of substance users. Past 30‐day comorbid prescription opioid misuse and recreational substance use (eg, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, etc.) was studied in a representative sample of substance users in the United States using the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Methods Prevalence of prescription opioid misuse with and without comorbid substance use was estimated with the 2016 NSDUH. Generalized linear modeling was used to describe demographic correlates of opioid and comorbid substance use and explore the relation of opioid and comorbid substance use with social and behavioral health indicators. Results The majority of past month prescription opioid misusers reported use of other substances including cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, or hard drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, etc.). Males and younger respondents had a significantly higher risk of reporting past month prescription opioid misuse with illicit drug or polydrug use ( p 's < .01). Prescription opioid and polydrug users had the greatest odds of stealing property, selling drugs, having suicidal ideations, major depressive episode, and perceived treatment need in the past year compared to all other categories of prescription opioid misuse categories. Conclusions and Scientific Significance Prescription opioid misuse is likely a part of a larger set of psychological, behavioral, and mental health problems. More attention should be given to the profiles of recreational (non‐medical) substance use involving prescription opioids to curtail the current opioid crisis and prevent other similar epidemics in the future. (Am J Addict 2019;XX:1–8)