Patrick Comments on Prescribed Opioid Usage in Children Study
More than one in three Americans are prescribed opioids, National Survey on Drug Use and Health data shows. A new study indicates that the trend extended to children, who legally use the drug at as young as 2 years old, to treat pain following minor dental procedures or outpatient surgeries.
One in 10 children enrolled in Tennessee’s Medicaid program were prescribed opioids between 1999 and 2014, concurrent with the onset of the opioid crisis, a study published in the journal Pediatrics found. Researchers argued that the drugs, all prescribed to children without severe conditions, caused "unnecessary exposure" to potential harm, and suggested that health care providers consider therapeutic options before prescribing the potent painkillers.
“The study doesn’t suggest patients demand opioids,” Dr. Stephen Patrick, assistant professor of pediatrics and health policy at Vanderbilt University, told Newsweek. “The opioid epidemic is complex, it’s complicated, it has patient- and physician-level origins. But I think what a study like this highlights is that opioids are not benign and should be used when they are appropriate for the shortest duration possible.”