Any Use and “Frequent Use” of Opioids among Non-Elderly Adults in 2018–2019, by Socioeconomic Characteristics

Prescription opioids have commonly been used to treat both chronic and acute pain in the United States despite the fact that they are not recommended as the first-line treatment for most types of pain due to serious risks of opioid use disorders (OUDs) and overdose. As OUDs and opioid overdose deaths continue to be major public health concerns, examining the patterns and trends of the use of prescribed opioids can contribute to efforts to promote safer and more effective pain management. This Statistical Brief presents estimates of fills of prescriptions for opioid medications that are commonly used to treat pain obtained from the 2018–2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC). These estimates are an update of the 2015–2016 estimates presented in the previous Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Statistical Brief #516. The estimates only include prescriptions purchased or obtained in an outpatient setting. Prescription medicines administered in an inpatient setting or in a clinic or physician’s office are not included. The sample includes all non-elderly adults (ages 18 to 64) in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. (Statistical Brief 541 presents estimates of opioid use for elderly adults ages 65 and older). We examine the average annual percentages of non-elderly adults in 2018–2019 with any opioid use (one or more prescription fills during the year) and with frequent opioid use, which we define as having five or more prescription fills or refills during the year. We present overall estimates for the full population of non-elderly adults and for subgroups defined by sex, race/ethnicity, poverty status, insurance coverage, perceived health status, Census region, and metropolitan statistical area (MSA) status. All differences mentioned in the text are significant at the .05 level or better. Because of methodological and definitional differences, readers should use caution when comparing Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data with data from other sources. Details on the MEPS methodology and differences from other sources are included in the Definitions section of this Statistical Brief.