FDA
Friday Jan 18, 2003

The data were released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at a joint press conference with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to focus public attention on the dangers of abusing prescription medications.

"The public needs to know that just because a medication is safe and even life-saving when used appropriately, it is not harmless if used inappropriately," said SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie. "Abuse of prescription drugs can lead to addiction, misdiagnosis of serious illness, life threatening circumstances and even death."

"FDA recognizes the very real issue of prescription drug abuse," said FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "Our job is to strike a balance - to maximize the potential benefits that patients get from these drugs - while minimizing their risks."

Data released by SAMHSA today from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse showed that about 15 percent of 18 and 19 year olds used prescription medications non-medically in the past year.

For persons 12 to 17, 7.9 percent reported past year non-medical use of prescription medications. Among those aged 18 to 25, 12.1 percent used prescription medications non-medically. These figures include: 6.4 percent of 12 to17 year olds and 9.6 percent of 18 to 25 year olds having used prescription pain relievers; 2.2 percent of 12 to 17 year olds and 3.4 percent of those aged 18 to 25 having used stimulants; and 1.7 percent of 12 to17 year olds and 4.2 percent of 18 to 25 year olds having used tranquilizers non-medically.

"Young adults, even teens, are taking opioids, anti-depressants and stimulants for recreation," said H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., Director of SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). "They do not seem to realize that this misuse can lead to serious problems with addiction."

John Jenkins, M.D., Director, FDA's Office of New Drugs, noted that for one class of prescription drugs, pain relievers, "when used correctly and under a doctor's supervision, the benefits of prescription pain relievers outweigh their risks. But abuse them, or mix them with illegal drugs or alcohol, and you can wind up dead. Even using them with other prescription drugs can lead, in some cases, to life-threatening problems."

An additional report released by SAMHSA from its Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) shows that visits to emergency departments in hospitals increased significantly from 1994 to 2001 for narcotic prescription pain relievers.

Visits naming oxycodone increased 352 percent; methadone 230 percent; morphine 210 percent; and hydrocodone 131 percent. The data show that persons showing up in emergency departments often used more than one drug. Multiple drugs were mentioned in 72 percent of the emergency department visits involving narcotic prescription pain medications.

FDA and SAMHSA have joined to launch a public education effort focused on prescription medications. The first products of this cooperative endeavor feature posters, brochures and print advertisements related to the dangers of abusing prescription pain relievers.

Materials include two print public service announcements - The Buzz Takes Your Breath Away and It's to Die For and a consumer education brochure entitled The Buzz Takes Your Breath Away - Permanently.

The educational materials are targeted to get the attention of 14 to 25 year-olds, but the materials are relevant for all consumers who use prescription pain relievers for non-medical purposes.