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Unintentional Prescription Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths: Description of Decedents by Next of Kin or Best Contact, Utah, 2008–2009

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ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the characteristics that may predispose an individual to being at risk for fatal overdose from prescription opioids.

OBJECTIVE

To identify characteristics related to unintentional prescription opioid overdose deaths in Utah.

DESIGN

Interviews were conducted (October 2008–October 2009) with a relative or friend most knowledgeable about the decedent’s life.

SUBJECTS

Analyses involved 254 decedents aged 18 or older, where cause of death included overdose on at least one prescription opioid.

KEY RESULTS

Decedents were more likely to be middle-aged, Caucasian, non-Hispanic/Latino, less educated, not married, or reside in rural areas than the general adult population in Utah. In the year prior to death, 87.4 % were prescribed prescription pain medication. Reported potential misuse prescription pain medication in the year prior to their death was high (e.g., taken more often than prescribed [52.9 %], obtained from more than one doctor during the previous year [31.6 %], and used for reasons other than treating pain [29.8 %, almost half of which “to get high”]). Compared with the general population, decedents were more likely to experience financial problems, unemployment, physical disability, mental illness (primarily depression), and to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and use illicit drugs. The primary source of prescription pain medication was from a healthcare provider (91.8 %), but other sources (not mutually exclusive) included: for free from a friend or relative (24 %); from someone without their knowledge (18.2 %); purchase from a friend, relative, or acquaintance (16.4 %); and purchase from a dealer (not a pharmacy) (11.6 %).

CONCLUSIONS

The large majority of decedents were prescribed opioids for management of chronic pain and many exhibited behaviors indicative of prescribed medication misuse. Financial problems, unemployment, physical disability, depression, and substance use (including illegal drugs) were also common.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Utah Department of Health. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We express our appreciation to the next of kin of best contacts that consented to be interviewed after the death of a relative or friend as a result of a drug overdose.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Utah Department of Health, Prescription Pain Medication Program, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Erin M. Johnson MPH & Robert T. Rolfs MD, MPH

  2. Epidemic Intelligence Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA

    William A. Lanier DVM, MPH

  3. Department of Health Science, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Ray M. Merrill PhD, MPH, MS, FACE, FAAHB

  4. Utah Department of Health, Communicable Disease Epidemiology Program, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Jacob Crook MS

  5. Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Public Health, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Christina A. Porucznik PhD, MSPH

  6. IDEAS Center, George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Brian Sauer PhD

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  1. Erin M. Johnson MPH
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  2. William A. Lanier DVM, MPH
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  3. Ray M. Merrill PhD, MPH, MS, FACE, FAAHB
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ray M. Merrill PhD, MPH, MS, FACE, FAAHB.

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Johnson, E.M., Lanier, W.A., Merrill, R.M. et al. Unintentional Prescription Opioid-Related Overdose Deaths: Description of Decedents by Next of Kin or Best Contact, Utah, 2008–2009. J GEN INTERN MED 28, 522–529 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-012-2225-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-012-2225-z

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