Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and Polydrug Use, 2002

In recent years, the abuse of opioid pain relievers1 has been recognized as a serious and growing public health problem.2,3 Recent estimates from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) showed that drug abuse-related emergency department (ED) visits involving opioid pain relievers have been increasing since 1994. Two of these pain relievers, oxycodone and hydrocodone,4 account for a substantial proportion of the increase (Figure 1).
■ In 2002, opioid pain relievers accounted for more than 119,000 ED mentions, or 10 percent of all the drug mentions in drug abuse-related ED visits. Oxycodone and hydrocodone were the most frequently named pain relievers, accounting for 40 percent (47,594 mentions) of the opioid pain relievers involved in these ED visits.
■ Approximately three-quarters of ED visits involving oxycodone and hydrocodone involved additional drugs (71% and 78%, respectively), while only 54 percent of all drug abuse-related visits involved multiple drugs.
■ The most frequent substances found in combination with oxycodone and hydrocodone in drug abuse-related ED visits were alcohol, benzodiazepines, other opioid pain relievers, and cocaine.