New data suggests that over 9.4 million U.S.
adults are affected by opioid use disorder Many don't believe they need treatment, and only a quarter ever receive medications proven to help them quit Better outreach about the benefits of treatment and anti-opioid meds are needed THURSDAY, June 27, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Just 25% of people battling opioid use disorder are getting medications aimed at helping them quit and potentially avoid an overdose, new data shows. Boosting access to proper treatment might save countless lives. "In 2022, 81,806 opioid-involved overdose deaths were reported in the United States, more than in any previous year," noted a team led by , chief medical officer at the U.
S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Overdose Prevention. Dowell and her colleagues looked at data collected for 2022 as part of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
The survey involved almost 57,000 adults. Opioid use disorder is defined as "a problematic pattern of opioid use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress," the study authors wrote in their report. According to the survey, in 2022 a total of 3.
7% of U.S. adults met that criterium and were having problems with oxycodone, Vicodin, heroin or any other form of opioid.
That's nearly 9.4 million people. But according to the new data, only a bit more than half (55.
1%) received any kind of to help them kick their opioid overuse, and only 25.1% accessed medications that doctors know ca.
