• Skip to Content
  • Skip to Main Navigation
  • Skip to Search

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

Open Search
  • Undergraduate
    • Majors & Degrees
    • Minors & Certificates
    • Courses & Advising
      • Course Listing
      • Physical Activity Instruction Program
    • How to Apply
    • Costs and Finances
    • Contact & Visit
    • Virtual Tour
  • Masters
    • Majors & Degrees
    • Online program
    • How to Apply
      • International
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Courses & Advising
      • Course Listing
    • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Continuing Education
    • Certificates
    • Contact & Visit
    • Virtual Tour
  • Doctoral
    • Majors
      • Ph.D. in Nutrition
    • How to Apply
      • International
      • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Courses & Advising
      • Course Listing
    • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Continuing Education
    • Contact & Visit Us
    • Virtual Tour
  • Career Services
    • Career Coaching
    • Student Outcomes
    • Recruit with Us
  • Student Experience
    • Life in the School of Public Health
    • Classroom Experience
    • Honors Program
    • Living Learning Center
    • Study Abroad
    • Student Organizations
    • Research Day
  • Faculty & Research
    • Faculty Directory
      • Emeriti Faculty
    • Postdoctoral Fellows & Research Associates Directory
    • Centers and Institutes
    • Departments
      • Applied Health Science
      • Environmental and Occupational Health
      • Epidemiology and Biostatistics
      • Health & Wellness Design
      • Kinesiology
    • Bìguān 闭关
    • Book: It's About Knowing
  • Alumni & Giving
    • Ways to Give
    • Ways to Get Involved
    • Dean’s Alliance
    • Alumni Association Board
    • Distinguished Alumni Awards
    • Virtual Graduate Recognition
  • About
    • Dean’s Welcome Message
    • Administration
    • Offices
    • People at the School
    • Accreditation
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Report of Diversity Initiatives 2020
      • Report of Diversity Initiatives 2019
      • School's Diversity Plan
      • Programming and Initiatives
      • Panorama
      • Campus Partners and Community Resources
    • Join our Team: Faculty/Academic Appointments
    • Join our Team: Staff Positions
    • Contact
    • The Store
    • Virtual Tour
  • Current SPH Students
    • Advising
    • Career Services
    • Internships
    • Financial Support
      • Scholarships
        • Student Government Award Application
      • Fellowships
      • Fellowship & Scholarship Application
        • Fellowship & Scholarship Application: FAQs
    • Study Abroad
    • Student Organizations
    • Forms
    • Student Diversity & Inclusion
    • Graduation
    • Contact
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Events
    • Distinguished Colloquium Speaker Series
      • Past Speakers
    • For Media Professionals

School of Public Health

  • Home
  • Undergraduate
    • Majors & Degrees
    • Minors & Certificates
    • Courses & Advising
    • How to Apply
    • Costs and Finances
    • Contact & Visit
    • Virtual Tour
  • Masters
    • Majors & Degrees
    • Online program
    • How to Apply
    • Courses & Advising
    • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Continuing Education
    • Certificates
    • Contact & Visit
    • Virtual Tour
  • Doctoral
    • Majors
    • How to Apply
    • Courses & Advising
    • Costs and Financial Aid
    • Continuing Education
    • Contact & Visit Us
    • Virtual Tour
  • Career Services
    • Career Coaching
    • Student Outcomes
    • Recruit with Us
  • Student Experience
    • Life in the School of Public Health
    • Classroom Experience
    • Honors Program
    • Living Learning Center
    • Study Abroad
    • Student Organizations
    • Research Day
  • Faculty & Research
    • Faculty Directory
    • Postdoctoral Fellows & Research Associates Directory
    • Centers and Institutes
    • Departments
    • Bìguān 闭关
    • Book: It's About Knowing
  • Alumni & Giving
    • Ways to Give
    • Ways to Get Involved
    • Dean’s Alliance
    • Alumni Association Board
    • Distinguished Alumni Awards
    • Virtual Graduate Recognition
  • About
    • Dean’s Welcome Message
    • Administration
    • Offices
    • People at the School
    • Accreditation
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Join our Team: Faculty/Academic Appointments
    • Join our Team: Staff Positions
    • Contact
    • The Store
    • Virtual Tour
  • Search
  • Current SPH Students
  • News & Events
  • Home
  • News & Events
  • News
  • Young adults' risks from first-time opioid prescriptions may not be as high as previously thought

Young adults' risks from first-time opioid prescriptions may not be as high as previously thought

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Across the board, the study found the opioid recipients' risk was 1 to 2 percent greater than other people's risk, but researchers cautioned that further studies are needed to determine how much of that risk is truly caused by opioid prescriptions.

Young adults and adolescents who are prescribed opioids for the first time may be at a slightly greater risk of developing a substance-related problem later in life, according to a new study co-authored by Indiana University researchers. However, the risk may not be as high as previously thought.

The study was published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics and co-authored by Dr. Patrick Quinn, an assistant professor at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington.

The researchers looked at the health and other national records of Swedish individuals age 13 to 29, from 2007 to 2013, who were prescribed an opioid for the first time. Their goal was to further investigate whether prescribing opioids, such as codeine or oxycodone, during adolescence and young adulthood leads to a greater risk of substance-related problems.

They found that, compared with people who were not prescribed an opioid, 1 to 2 percent more of those prescribed an opioid for the first time developed a substance use disorder or other substance-related issue such an overdose or criminal conviction within five years of being prescribed.

"By using several rigorous research designs, we found that there was not a huge difference — in fact, the difference was smaller than some previous research has found. But the study still shows that even a first opioid prescription may lead to some risk," Quinn said. "Our findings highlight the importance of screening for substance use disorders and other mental health conditions among patients with pain, including those receiving opioid therapy."

Quinn and his team used health data from Sweden because the country has nationwide records, which makes it easier to document people's prescriptions. They conducted a number of tests, including comparing youth and adolescents who were prescribed opioids with those whose pain was treated with a non-opioid pain medication. They also compared twins and other siblings of multiple births, one who was prescribed opioids and others who were not.

Across the board, the opioid recipients' risk was 1 to 2 percent greater than other people's risk. Quinn cautioned that further research is needed to determine how much of that risk is truly caused by opioid prescription and how much is caused by other factors, such as whether opioid recipients experienced more impairing pain.

The opioid epidemic in the U.S. has brought about welcome prescription policy changes, Quinn said, but it is important to have solid data that can help guide these decisions.

"Our goal is help patients and doctors understand the risks of opioid treatment for pain," he said. "We need to have a good understanding of what those risks might be in order for patients and doctors to make informed decisions."

Other authors on the paper include Dr. Kimberly Fine of the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington; Martin Rickert, Ayesha Sujan and Brian D'Onofrio, all of the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences; Katja Boersma of Örebro University; and Zheng Chang, Johan Franck, Paul Lichtenstein and Henrik Larsson, all of the Karolinska Institute.

This research was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health, by the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, by the Swedish Research Council and by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

  • News
  • Events
  • Distinguished Colloquium Speaker Series
  • For Media Professionals

School of Public Health social media channels

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Indiana University

Accessibility | Privacy Notice | Copyright © 2023 The Trustees of Indiana University