Use of prescription pain medication emerges as a concern at CAMH

For Immediate Release - February 9, 2009 - (Toronto) - New research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking detoxification treatment for opioid dependence. Surprisingly, the cause of this increase is the use of prescription pain medication, not heroin.

The study published in January’s Canadian Family Physician found that over a five-year period, of the people coming to the Medical Withdrawal Service of CAMH for the treatment of opioid dependence, those having a problem with OxyContin® increased steadily from fewer than 4% to 55%.

Prescription pain relievers are an important therapeutic option in the treatment of persistent pain, but many have the potential for abuse. Existing research suggests that misuse of prescription pain medication may be a common form of illicit opioid use in Canada; previous CAMH statistics show that codeine and oxycodone are commonly abused prescription drugs.

“When people think of treating opioid dependence, they think of treating heroin use,” said, Dr. Beth Sproule, Advanced Practice Pharmacist and Clinician Scientist at CAMH. “What we found was that the majority of people who sought help to withdraw from opioids had a problem with prescription pain medication, particularly the slow-release oxycodone product OxyContin®, while the numbers of people we treated for heroin use remained low and stable during the same period.”

The study found that the majority of people seeking medically assisted opioid detoxification at CAMH received pain medication by prescription from a doctor, and a smaller number identified purchasing it on the street or both by prescription and the street. A very small number of people identified receiving pain medication from friends and family. Though pain medications are available by prescription and are slowly released into the body, many people who misuse these substances crush or chew them, eliminating the time-release properties. Another issue with this type of drug use is the problem of multiple substance use.

“We found that many people who have problems with opioids use more than one substance at a time, and in some cases, more than one pain medication. Another consistent finding is the high rate of concurrent psychiatric problems,” said Dr. Bruna Brands, Senior Scientist with Health Canada and co-investigator on the research.

“The challenge for health care providers is to be aware of the issues to be able to detect possible problems, while continuing to provide pain treatment to those who need it.” said Sproule.

For more information or to arrange interviews; media contact Michael Torres, CAMH Media Relations at 416-535-6015

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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development, prevention and health promotion to transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

Use of prescription pain medication emerges as a concern at CAMH

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