Teens prescribed opioids more likely to abuse drugs as adults, U-M study shows

MLive.com, October 27, 2015

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of OxyContin for kids between the ages of 11 and 16, but a new University of Michigan study shows that legal prescription opioid use by high school students leads to a greater likelihood of drug abuse when the teens become adults.

According to the U-M study, high schoolers who use prescription opioids like OxyContin, Vicodin and other pain relievers are 33 percent more likely to abuse the drug by the age of 23.

'Most likely, the initial experience of pain relief is pleasurable, and this safe experience may reduce perceived danger,' Richard Miech, the lead author of the study and a research professor at the U-M Institute for Social Research, said in a press release." Read more

For resources to talk to your child about the dangers of prescription drug abuse, click here