Prescription Opioid Drug-Use Soars in Canada

Prescription drug abuse throughout North America is continuing to become a problem throughout the continent. In the United States in particular, statistics show that many southern states are dealing with increasingly high amounts of overdose. 

Now, new findings also show that neighbors to the north are dealing with issues. Recent findings published in the journal Canadian Family Physician show that Canada is dealing with significant prescription drug abuse.

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) examined available data and discovered that from 2006 to 2011 that the percentage of prescriptions written for high-dose opioids increased by 23 percent. Furthermore, the incidence rate went from 781 units per 1,000 patients to 961 units per 1,000 patients.

"We found that high-dose prescribing was widespread across the country, but the prevalence differed considerably between provinces," said lead study author Tara Gomes, a scientist at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael's Hospital, in a news release. "These findings suggest that although a national strategy is likely necessary, different provinces may need slightly different approaches."'

Furthermore, researchers found that rates in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as Saskatchewan provinces, skyrocketed by about 85 percent and 54 percent, respectively.

"Provinces not only differed in their prevalence of high-dose opioid prescribing, but each province also appears to favor different opioids. For example, in Alberta and Ontario, oxycodone is the drug most commonly prescribed at high doses, while in British Columbia, it's morphine," said Gomes, who is also a scientist at ICES, according to the press release. "Our findings highlight the profound regional variation in high-dose opioid prescribing across Canada. These results have important public health and policy consequences, given the elevated risk of overdose among individuals treated with high doses of these drugs."