Any Use and “Frequent Use” of Opioids among Adults Aged 65 and Older in 2020–2021, by Socioeconomic Characteristics

Prescription opioids are commonly used to treat both chronic and acute pain in the United States. However, they are not recommended as first-line treatment for most types of pain due to the serious risk of opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose. As OUD and opioid overdose deaths continue to be major public health concerns, examining the patterns and trends in the use of prescribed opioids can contribute to efforts to promote safer and more effective treatments for pain management. This Statistical Brief presents estimates of prescription fills for opioid medicines that are commonly used to treat pain. These data were obtained from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 2020–2021 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component (MEPS-HC). These estimates are an update to the 2018–2019 estimates presented in the previous AHRQ Statistical Brief #541. 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 adults aged 65 and older in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. Statistical Brief 552 presents estimates of opioid use for adults aged 18–64. We examine the average annual percentages of adults aged 65 and older in 2020–2021 with (1) any opioid use (defined as one or more prescription fills during the year) and (2) frequent opioid use (defined as having four or more prescription fills or refills during the year). We present overall estimates for the full population of adults aged 65 and older 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 p<0.05 level or better. Because of differences in methodology and in the definitions of opioid prescription fills, readers should use caution when comparing MEPS data with data from other sources. See the “Definitions” section of this Statistical Brief for details.