Trends in Receipt of Buprenorphine and Naltrexone for Opioid Use Disorder Among Adolescents and Young Adults, 2001-2014

Abstract

Drug overdose deaths in the United States—the majority of which are caused by prescription opioids and heroin—have reached an unprecedented level, having tripled from 2000 to 2014 and surpassed annual mortality from motor vehicle crashes.^1-5 Hospitalizations and emergency department visits for overdose,^6,7 drug treatment admissions,⁸ and new hepatitis C infections⁹ related to opioids have risen dramatically over a similar timeframe. Risk for opioid use disorder (OUD) frequently begins in adolescence and young adulthood, with 7.8% of high school seniors reporting lifetime nonmedical prescription opioid use.¹⁰ Two-thirds of individuals in treatment for OUD report that their first use was before age 25 years, and one-third report that it was before 18 years.⁸ Intervening early in the development of OUD is critical for preventing premature death and lifelong harm.¹¹ However, only 1 in 12 adolescents and young adults (collectively termed youth)¹² who need care for any type of addiction receive treatment.¹³ Compounding this situation, black and Hispanic youth are even less likely than white youth to receive addiction treatment.^14,15