Why Do Adults Misuse Prescription Drugs?

Why Do Adults Misuse Prescription Drugs?

New Report Discusses Why Adults Misuse Prescription Drugs

A new short report indicates the reasons for adult prescription drug misuse based on data from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The report discusses the most common reasons among adults for misuse of prescription pain relievers, prescription tranquilizers, prescription stimulants, and prescription sedatives.

In Brief

• According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 91.8 million adults aged 18 or older were past year users of prescription pain relievers in 2015, representing more than one-third (37.8 percent) of the adult population.
• About 11.5 million adults misused prescription pain relievers at least once in the past year. The most common reason for their last misuse of pain relievers was to relieve physical pain (63.4 percent).
• About 5.7 million adults misused prescription tranquilizers at least once in the past year. The most common reasons for their last misuse of tranquilizers were to relax or relieve tension (46.2 percent) and to help with sleep (21.2 percent).
• About 4.8 million adults misused prescription stimulants at least once in the past year. The most common reasons for misuse of stimulants were to help be alert or to stay awake (28.4 percent), to help concentrate (26.2 percent), and to help study (22.4 percent).
• About 1.4 million adults misused prescription sedatives at least once in the past year. The most common reason for the last misuse was to help with sleep (73.2 percent).