What do patients do with unused opioid medications?
Eleanor T Lewis1, Michael A Cucciare, Jodie A Trafton
1*Center for Innovation to Implementation, Veterans Affairs-Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park §Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA †Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research, Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System ‡Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
|November 28, 2013
Summary
Most patients keep unused opioid medications, and sharing these drugs is common. Proper disposal education and monitoring can help reduce opioid misuse risks.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
- Sociology
Background:
- Opioid prescriptions are rising in the US, leading to increased misuse and diversion.
- Patient practices regarding unused opioid medications remain largely unknown.
- Understanding medication retention and diversion is crucial for public safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To qualitatively analyze patient self-reported habits of storing and retaining unused opioid medications.
- To identify patterns in medication diversion and sharing among patients.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the Prescription Drug Use Questionnaire responses from 191 Veteran patients.
- Inclusion of data on prescription opioid use in the past 12 months.
- Focus on a sample with a high prevalence of factors associated with opioid misuse.
Main Results:
- Only 6.3% of patients disposed of extra medications; 24.1% had no extra opioids.
- A significant majority (65.4%) retained some or all unused opioids.
- Diversion and sharing were reported by 34.0% of participants, often involving family or friends.
Conclusions:
- A majority of patients retain unused opioid medications, contributing to a potential supply for misuse.
- Medication sharing and diversion are prevalent, highlighting a gap in safe medication management.
- Interventions focusing on patient education, monitoring, and disposal options are needed to mitigate risks.
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