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Opioid prescription rates vary widely among states

In 2012, 259 million opioid prescriptions were written by health care providers, and some states had more prescriptions than others, according to a recent Vital Signs report published in MMWR.

Of those opioid prescriptions, 12.5% were long-acting/extended-release opioid pain relievers and 5.1% were high-dose opioid pain relievers. 

“Prescription drug overdose is epidemic in the United States,” CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH, said in a press release. “All too often, and in far too many communities, the treatment is becoming a problem. Overdose rates are higher where these drugs are prescribed more frequently. States and practices where prescribing rates are highest need to take a particularly hard look at ways to reduce the inappropriate prescription of these dangerous drugs.”

Tom Frieden

In the report, the CDC analyzed 2012 prescribing data from retail pharmacies in the United States and calculated prescribing rates by state and types of opioid painkillers.

Overall, Alabama had the highest number of prescriptions, 2.7 times as many prescriptions per person in the lowest prescribing state, Hawaii. Many of the highest prescribing states were in the South. Long-acting/extended-release opioids and high-dose opioid prescriptions were most common in the Northeast, particularly in Maine and New Hampshire.

Oxymorphone had the greatest state variation prescribing rates. For example, Tennessee had nearly 22 times the number of prescriptions as Minnesota.

However, while most states had relatively high prescription rates, Florida reversed prescription overdose trends, with a 23% decrease in the death rate of prescription drug overdose between 2010 and 2012 following statewide legislative and enforcement actions in 2010 and 2011.

In order to address overprescribing, the CDC recommends that states find ways to increase drug monitoring programs, consider policy options, evaluate their own data and programs, and increase access to substance abuse treatment.

“We know we can do better,” Daniel M. Sosin, MD, MPH, DACP, acting director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, said in the release. “State variation in prescribing show us that the overprescribing of opioids can be reduced safely and feasibly. Improving how opioids are prescribed will help us prevent the 46 prescription painkiller overdose deaths that occur each day in the United States.”

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.