(Press-News.org) Contact information: Terry Materese
painmedia@elsevier.com
215-239-3196
Elsevier Health Sciences
Prescription opioid abusers prefer to get high on oxycodone and hydrocodone
Researchers investigate factors that influence the choice of abused drugs, reports PAIN®
Philadelphia, December 2, 2013 – Prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels in the past 15 years. Scientists investigating why people favor one drug over another have found that oxycodone and hydrocodone are the drugs of choice for 75% of opioid-dependent individuals. Their results, published in the current issue of PAIN®, show that oxycodone was the most popular drug overall because of the quality of the high for those who sought such effects. Nonetheless, hydrocodone remains one of the most popular primary drugs, even though it has lower euphoric qualities. In addition, users say they are concerned about acetaminophen poisoning since, until recently, all hydrocodone products contained non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Opioids used to manage pain in general medicine and dentistry are not only well known for their analgesic properties, but also for their ability to produce a high. Although most opioid classes have seen increases in their misuse, hydrocodone and oxycodone, which are the most commonly prescribed opioids in the United States, are by far the most popular drugs of choice among prescription opioid abusers. Both drugs have a long history of use for nontherapeutic purposes.
Investigators from the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis (Missouri) and the Center for Applied Research on Substance Use and Health Disparities at Nova Southeastern University in Miami, Fla., sought to identify the factors that influence the choice of primary drugs of abuse in 3,520 opioid-dependent individuals entering drug-treatment programs across the United States. Prospective participants were identified through the ongoing nationwide Survey of Key Informants' Patients (SKIP) program. That program is a key element of the postmarketing surveillance system, Researched Abuse, Diversion and Addiction-Related Surveillance (RADARS®) System. SKIP consists of more than 150 treatment centers, both public and privately funded, and is geographically balanced with urban, suburban, and rural patients.
To help determine the choice of one opioid over another, researchers used anonymous, self-administered surveys to assess the influence of sex, age, race/ethnicity, area of residence, source of income, health-care coverage, drug-use patterns, and other decision-related factors.
To add richness to the study, investigators also recruited 200 patients who previously had completed the SKIP survey and indicated that they were willing to give up their anonymity to participate in a follow-up study using non-structured, qualitative interviews, dubbed Researchers and Participants Interacting Directly (RAPID).
Oxycodone was the choice of significantly more users (44.7%) than hydrocodone (29.4%) because the quality of the high was viewed to be much better by oxycodone users (54%) than hydrocodone users (20%). Far fewer participants selected any other opioid as their primary drug. While 90% of users selected mood alteration as a reason for using their primary drug, a very large percentage of each sample – 50% to 60% -- indicated that the treatment of pain was also a factor in their use. This finding suggests that, in the view of many patients, pain was inadequately managed.
Despite its high abuse rates among prescription opioid abusers, hydrocodone is viewed as less attractive than oxycodone by active abusers because, unlike many oxycodone products that are 100% oxycodone, hydrocodone is frequently combined with acetaminophen. This can deter users from increasing the dose in order to get high.
Oxycodone users are more likely to tamper with their drugs in order to inhale or inject the drug. The introduction of an OxyContin abuse-deterrent formulation in 2010 led to a significant drop in the use of OxyContin, but the overall impact on total oxycodone users was not sufficiently significant to change the rank of order of abuse rates; oxycodone products remained more popular than hydrocodone products.
A key question the researchers set out to answer is why hydrocodone remains one of the most popular primary drugs even though it produces a lower quality of high and raises the potential for acetaminophen poisoning.
"The data show that hydrocodone is popular because it is relatively inexpensive, easily accessible through physicians, friends, and families, and is perceived as relatively safe to use, particularly by risk-averse users. This group includes generally risk-averse women, elderly people, non-injectors, and those who prefer safer modes of acquisition than dealers, such as doctors, friends, or family members," says Theodore J. Cicero, PhD, of the Department of Psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis. "In contrast, we found that oxycodone is much more attractive to risk-tolerant young male users who prefer to inject or snort their drugs to get high and are willing to use riskier forms of diversion despite paying twice as much for oxycodone than hydrocodone.
"It is clear that not all drug abusers share the same characteristics," he continues. "The decision to use one drug over another is a complex one, largely attributable to individual differences such as personality, gender, age, and other factors. Prevention and treatment approaches should benefit from this because it may help prescribing physicians determine which drug to prescribe and monitor for abuse."
### END
Prescription opioid abusers prefer to get high on oxycodone and hydrocodone
Researchers investigate factors that influence the choice of abused drugs, reports PAIN®
2013-12-03
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Rice U. study: It's not easy 'being green'
2013-12-03
Rice U. study: It's not easy 'being green'
HOUSTON – (Dec. 2, 2013) – Think you don't recycle enough? You're not alone. However, people's ability to overcome self-doubt plays a critical role in how successfully they act in support of environmental issues, according to a new study ...
Information technologies could remove the 'shroud of secrecy' draped across private health care cost
2013-12-03
Information technologies could remove the 'shroud of secrecy' draped across private health care cost
PRINCETON, NJ—The "shroud of secrecy" once draped across private health care service costs could be lifted ...
Kids whose bond with mother was disrupted early in life show changes in brain
2013-12-03
Kids whose bond with mother was disrupted early in life show changes in brain
Children who experience profound neglect have been found to be more prone to a behavior known as "indiscriminate friendliness," characterized by an inappropriate willingness ...
UCSB researcher shows microplastic transfers chemicals, impacting health
2013-12-03
UCSB researcher shows microplastic transfers chemicals, impacting health
Study demonstrates plastic ingestion delivers pollutants and additives into animal tissue
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — With global production of plastic exceeding 280 metric ...
Bronchial thermoplasty shows long-term effectiveness for asthma
2013-12-03
Bronchial thermoplasty shows long-term effectiveness for asthma
Data show improvements maintained for 5 years after procedure
DENVER – The beneficial effects of bronchial thermoplasty, a non-pharmacologic treatment for asthma, last at least five years, ...
Integrated pest managment techniques can help manage the Bagrada bug
2013-12-03
Integrated pest managment techniques can help manage the Bagrada bug
The Bagrada bug, an invasive stink bug, was discovered in the western hemisphere in 2008 near Los Angeles, CA, presumably introduced via container shipments arriving at the Port of ...
A new weapon in the war against superbugs
2013-12-03
A new weapon in the war against superbugs
Tel Aviv University researchers find a protein that viruses use to kill bacteria
In the arms race between bacteria and modern medicine, bacteria have gained an edge. In recent decades, bacterial resistance to ...
Energy drinks plus alcohol pose a public health threat
2013-12-03
Energy drinks plus alcohol pose a public health threat
ANN ARBOR—Mixing energy drinks with alcohol is riskier than just drinking alcohol alone, according to a new study that examines the impact of a growing trend among young adults.
Published in the current issue ...
A living desert underground
2013-12-03
A living desert underground
In the perpetual darkness of a limestone cave, UA researchers have discovered a surprisingly diverse ecosystem of microbes eking out a living from not much more than drip water, rock and air
Hidden underneath the hilly grasslands studded ...
Ethnic identification helps Latina adolescents resist media barrage of body images
2013-12-03
Ethnic identification helps Latina adolescents resist media barrage of body images
CORVALLIS, Ore. – A strong sense of ethnic identity can help Latina girls feel positive about their body and appearance, a new study concludes, even as this group ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
First-in-human trial shows promising results for DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate SHR-4849 in relapsed small cell lung cancer
Ifinatamab deruxtecan demonstrates high response rate in previously treated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer: Phase 2 IDeate-Lung01 trial
Higher blood pressure in childhood linked to earlier death from heart disease in adulthood
AI helped older adults report accurate blood pressure readings at home
High blood pressure in childhood and premature cardiovascular disease mortality
Zidesamtinib shows durable responses in ROS1 TKI pre-treated NSCLC, including patients with CNS disease and ROS1 G2032R mutations
Crizotinib fails to improve disease-free survival in resected early-stage ALK+ NSCLC
Ivonescimab plus chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in patients with EGFR+ NSCLC following 3rd-generation EGFR-TKI therapy
FLAURA2 trial shows osimertinib plus chemotherapy improves overall survival in eGFR-mutated advanced NSCLC
Aumolertinib plus chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in NSCLC with EGFR and concomitant tumor suppressor genes: ACROSS 2 phase III study
New antibody-drug conjugate shows promising efficacy in EGFR-mutated NSCLC patients
Iza-Bren in combination with osimertinib shows 100% response rate in EGFR-mutated NSCLC, phase II study finds
COMPEL study shows continuing osimertinib treatment through progression with the addition of chemotherapy improves progression-free survival in EGFR-mutated NSCLC
CheckMate 77T: Nivolumab maintains quality of life and reduces symptom deterioration in resectable NSCLC
Study validates AI lung cancer risk model Sybil in predominantly Black population at urban safety-net hospital
New medication lowered hard-to-control high blood pressure in people with chronic kidney disease
Innovative oncolytic virus and immunotherapy combinations pave the way for advanced cancer treatment
New insights into energy metabolism and immune dynamics could transform head and neck cancer treatment
Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Steven Heymsfield named LSU Boyd Professor – LSU’s highest faculty honor
Study prompts new theory of human-machine communication
New method calculates rate of gene expression to understand cell fate
Researchers quantify rate of essential evolutionary process in the ocean
Innovation Crossroads companies join forces, awarded U.S. Air Force contract
Using new blood biomarkers, USC researchers find Alzheimer’s disease trial eligibility differs among various populations
Pioneering advances in in vivo CAR T cell production
Natural medicines target tumor vascular microenvironment to inhibit cancer growth
Coral-inspired pill offers a new window into the hidden world of the gut
nTIDE September2025 Jobs Report: Employment for people with disabilities surpasses prior high
When getting a job makes you go hungry
Good vibrations could revolutionize assisted reproductive technology
[Press-News.org] Prescription opioid abusers prefer to get high on oxycodone and hydrocodoneResearchers investigate factors that influence the choice of abused drugs, reports PAIN®