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Adult Pain Reliever Misuse

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Percent of Adults Reporting Any Use of Prescription Pain Relievers Not Prescribed for Them by Their Doctor within the Past 12 Months, All Available Years: by Age, Gender, and Region

2004/20052010
MaleFemaleTotalMaleFemaleTotal
Minnesota2.6%2.0%2.3%2.7%2.1%2.4%
Metro3.0%2.5%2.8%2.5%2.1%2.3%
Non-Metro2.1%1.3%1.7%2.9%2.2%2.5%

About the Indicator:

Adults were asked about use of prescription pain relievers taken outside prescribed use or taken only for the experience or the feeling they caused. Pain relievers or other opiates might include: vicodin, oxycontin, codeine, Percocet, Darvocet, Darvon, Dilaudid, Fioricet, Fiorinal, Lorcet, Lortab, Methadone, Morphine, Demerol, Percodan, Stadol, Talacen, Talwin, Talwin NX, Tylox, or Ultram.

According to the 2012/2013 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, 3.59% of Minnesotans ages 12 and older reported non-medical use of pain relievers in the past year. This was lower than the national average of 4.51%. Note that the Minnesota data in the table above is for adults ages 18 and older.

Data Source: Minnesota Survey of Adult Substance Use (MNSASU)

Description: The Minnesota Survey on Adult Substance Use is conducted to obtain current estimates of the number of adults in the general population in Minnesota who are abusing or dependent on alcohol or other drugs and are in need of treatment. The prevalence of substance abuse and dependence and need for treatment were assessed for the total population, and by region, race and ethnicity, gender, age group, and sexual orientation.  The population for this survey included Minnesota residents 18 years of age or older and non-institutionalized.

Sponsored by: Minnesota Department of Human Services, Performance Measurement and Quality Improvement

Geographic Level: State, Region. 

Frequency: The most recent survey was conducted in 2015; previous surveys were conducted in 2010 and 2004.

Characteristics: The sample was stratified by region, and African Americans, American Indians, Latinos, Hmong and other Asian Americans were over-sampled to ensure adequate numbers of respondents to provide reliable estimates for these sub-groups. The survey instrument included demographic information, diagnostic measures of abuse of and dependence on alcohol or drugs, use of treatment services, depression, serious mental illness and body weight. These data are self-reported.