Painkiller Abuse Among Teens - Epidemic in Ohio, White House Action Plan, What Works

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) issued a national action plan to address prescription opiod abuse, titled, "Epidemic: Responding to America’s Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis."  The key elements are education, tracking and monitoring (using prescription monitoring programs), drug disposal programs, and law enforcement.
Prescription painkiller abuse has hit Ohio particularly hard, according to The New York Times.

“We’re raising third and fourth generations of prescription drug abusers now,” said Chief Charles Horner of the Portsmouth police, who often notes that more people died from overdoses in Ohio in 2008 and 2009 than in the World Trade Center attack in 2001.

“We should all be outraged,” Chief Horner said. “It should be a No. 1 priority.”

And the impact isn't just on adults:

“Around here, everyone has a kid who’s addicted,” said Lisa Roberts, a nurse who works for the Portsmouth Health Department. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a police chief, a judge or a Baptist preacher. It’s kind of like a rite of passage.” 

>>Full story.

I did a quick scan of the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)  to see if I could find detailed national data on opiod use for teens specifically. I didn't find any evidence that it was, but I did see a mention in this 2008 presentation, "Science-based Treatment of Opioid-Dependent Adolescents: Summary of Research & Research Needs," by Lisa A. Marsch, Ph.D., that:

"[t]he rate of increase of prescription opioid abuse among teens is more abuse than 4 times the rate of increase among adults."

I also ran across "The Opiate Epidemic: What Works & What Doesn’t," using data from Fairfield County, OH.  While most of the data isn't youth-focused, I found on slide 19 that 53.5% of young adults age 18-25 who were jailed there in 2008 had opiates in their system (see slide 19).
Furthermore, it appears that drug therapy may be an important part of effective treatment for opiate addiction.

• For example, the Fairfield County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Board says that 62% of individuals treated for opiate abuse who receive Suboxone (a trademarked drug that comnbines buprenorphine and naloxone) complete treatment successfully, whereas 87% of those who do not receive Suboxone are discharged as unsuccessful (see slide 28). 

Those aren't youth-specific numbers. Marsch's PowerPoint, mentioned above, is specific to teens. Her research showed that adding buprenorphine to behavioral treatment was extremely effective, at least compared to use of clonidine and behavioral treatment (see slide 8). 
Related Post: Kyle Boyer's Journey Through Addiction, Drug Court, and Recovery

Is painkiller abuse among teens a significant problem in your community? Let us know.
Also - if you're aware of research on what works for teens addicted to painkillers, please drop me an email, or leave a comment below.
 
Photo: kaje_yomama.