Study: Painkiller Misuse Up Among Young Adults

A study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Heath Services Administration (SAMHSA) says that prescription painkiller misuse among young adults has increased even as non-medical use by teenagers decreased between 2002 and 2007, HealthDay News reported Feb. 9.

The study, Trends in Nonmedical Use of Prescription Pain Relievers: 2002-2007, found that misuse of prescription painkillers increased from 4.1 percent in 2006 to 4.6 percent in 2007 among young adults.

On the other hand, researchers found that non-medical use of painkillers by teenagers decreased to 2.7 percent in 2007, down from 3.2 percent in 2002.

Overall, about 5.2 million people ages 12 years and older said they had used prescription pain relievers non-medically in the past month.