Understanding the Epidemic | Drug Overdose | CDC Injury Center

Understanding the Epidemic | Drug Overdose | CDC Injury Center

What can be done?

We need to improve prescribing of opioids, expand treatment of addiction, and reduce access to illegal opioids.

• Improve opioid prescribing to reduce exposure to opioids, prevent abuse, and stop addiction.
• Expand access to evidence-based substance abuse treatment, such as Medication-Assisted Treatment, for people already struggling with opioid addiction.
• Expand access and use of naloxone—a safe antidote to reverse opioid overdose.
• Promote the use of state prescription drug monitoring programs, which give health care providers information to improve patient safety and prevent abuse.
• Implement and strengthen state strategies that help prevent high-risk prescribing and prevent opioid overdose.
• Improve detection of the trends of illegal opioid use by working with state and local public health agencies, medical examiners and coroners, and law enforcement.

Learn more about opioid overdose prevention

Related Pages

• Data Overview
• CDC MMWR: Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths — United States, 2000–2014.
• Drug Overdose Deaths by State, US 2013 and 2014
• Overdose Prevention

Additional Resources

• HHS.gov: About the Opioid Epidemic
• SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Increases in Drug and Opioid Overdose Deaths — United States, 2000–2014. MMWR 2015; 64;1-5.
2. CDC. Wide-ranging online data for epidemiologic research (WONDER). Atlanta, GA: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics; 2016. Available at http://wonder.cdc.gov.
3. Chang H, Daubresse M, Kruszewski S, et al. Prevalence and treatment of pain in emergency departments in the United States, 2000 – 2010. Amer J of Emergency Med 2014; 32(5): 421-31.
4. Daubresse M, Chang H, Yu Y, Viswanathan S, et al. Ambulatory diagnosis and treatment of nonmalignant pain in the United States, 2000 – 2010.  Medical Care 2013; 51(10): 870-878.
5. CDC. Wide-ranging online data for epidemiologic research (WONDER). Atlanta, GA: CDC, National Center for Health Statistics; 2016. Available at http://wonder.cdc.gov
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Demographic and Substance Use Trends Among Heroin Users — United States, 2002–2013. MMWR 2015; 64(26):719-725
7. Muhuri PK, Gfroerer JC, Davies C. Associations of nonmedical pain reliever use and initiation of heroin use in the United States. CBHSQ Data Review, 2013.
8. Cicero TJ, Ellis MS, Surratt HL, Kurtz SP. The changing face of heroin use in the United States: a retrospective analysis of the past fifty years. JAMA Psychiatry 2014;71:821–6.
9. Jones CM. Heroin use and heroin use risk behaviors among nonmedical users of prescription opioid pain relievers — United States, 2002–2004 and 2008–2010. Drug Alcohol Depend 2013;132:95-100.
10. US Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration. National Drug Threat Assessment Summary. DEA-DCT-DIR-002-15 2014.