Associations between prescription and illicit stimulant and opioid use in the United States, 2015-2020

Introduction: Overdose deaths involving opioids and stimulants continue to reach unprecedented levels in the United States. Although significant attention has been paid to the relationship between prescription and illicit opioid use, little work has focused on the association between prescription and illicit stimulant use. Thus, this study explores characteristics of those who use or misuse prescription stimulants and/or opioids and associations with use of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. Methods: We used 2015-2020 data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Using adjusted multi -variable logistic regression, we estimated the associations between past year prescription stimulant or pre-scription opioid prescribed use and misuse; various demographic characteristics; and past-year cocaine, methamphetamine, or heroin use. Results: From 2015 to 2020, 4.9 and 9.8 million US adults annually reported misusing prescription stimulants and opioids, respectively. Individuals who misused prescription stimulants were more likely to be ages 18-25 (45.8 %; 95 % CI: 44.0-47.5) than individuals who misused prescription opioids (21.7 %; 95 % CI: 20.7-22.7). We observed higher rates of cocaine use among individuals reporting prescription stimulant misuse (12.0 %; 95 % CI: 11.0-12.9) compared to those reporting prescription opioid misuse (5.7 %; 95 % CI: 5.1-6.3, p < 0.001). Heroin use was more common among individuals with prescription opioid misuse (2.1 %; 95 % CI: 1.7-2.2) than pre-scription stimulant misuse (0.6 %; 95 % CI: 0.4-0.7, p < 0.001). However, rates of methamphetamine use among individuals with prescription stimulant misuse (2.4 %; 95 % CI: 1.9-3.0) did not differ from individuals with prescription opioid misuse (2.1 %; 95 % CI: 1.7-2.5, p = 0.67). Conclusions: Prescription stimulant misuse, compared to prescription opioid misuse, was associated with higher levels of cocaine use but not methamphetamine use. Treatment providers should consider screening for other substance use disorders among people who report prescription stimulant use or misuse. Additional research should seek to understand the mechanism underlying the different associations between prescription stimulant misuse and cocaine or methamphetamine use.

Automated summary

Overdose deaths involving opioids and stimulants continue to rise in the US. This study examines the characteristics of individuals who misuse prescription stimulants and opioids, and their association with cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin use. The findings reveal that prescription stimulant misuse is more strongly associated with cocaine use than prescription opioid misuse. It highlights the need for screening for other substance use disorders among those who report prescription stimulant use or misuse.