Opioids and People with Disabilities: Higher Rates of Use, Misuse, and Overdose

Published June 18, 2020

It is virtually impossible to ignore the epidemic of opioid use and abuse among American citizens. The various states and regions have experienced different rates of opioid use, but people in all levels of society have been affected.

In 2018, prescriptions for opioids were written at a rate of 51.4 prescriptions per 100 people, with some counties having rates six times higher than that. Although it is possible for anyone to find themselves as a statistic in the opioid epidemic, one group that has been particularly been hit particularly hard is people with disabilities.

Opioids are a class of drugs routinely prescribed to treat pain. The opioid family is comprised of several legal prescription drugs including oxycodone, morphine, and fentanyl, as well as illicit drugs such as heroin. People with disabilities are prescribed opioids to treat a variety of conditions including acute and chronic pain.

Hitting people with disabilities hard

A 2016 study indicated that approximately 52% of adults with disabilities used prescription opioids in the previous year, as compared to approximately 33% of adults without disabilities. Furthermore, people with disabilities were more likely to misuse opioids, and also more likely to develop opioid use disorders.

Similar studies also show high rates of opioid use among people with disabilities. A 2014 study showed that more than 40% of individuals receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) who were also eligible for Medicare used opioids, while 20% used opioids chronically. A troubling 2019 study also showed that Medicare eligible SSDI recipients represented almost 81% of all opioid overdose deaths among all Medicare recipients. For the sake of comparison, in 2016, this represented a rate of opioid overdose death of 77.6 per 100,000 people, while the general population had an overdose rate of 13.3 per 100,000 people.

The opioid epidemic presents other challenges for people with disabilities as well. Much like the difficulties in finding appropriate medical care, people with disabilities often struggle to get appropriate care for opioid abuse. According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, only 12.8% of people with disabilities received treatment for opioid abuse.

Facing barriers to treatment

Another recent national survey (PDF) showed that many people with disabilities face physical accessibility barriers to receiving treatment. Many treatment centers, especially those in rural areas, lack the accessibility needed for wheelchair users. In addition to the lack of accessibility, inpatient treatment centers often denied services to individuals who need assistance with personal care needs.

Considering the higher likelihood of being prescribed opioids, along with the higher incidence of substance abuse disorders among people with disabilities, it is important follow good practices when starting an opioid regimen.

According to Mary Wilson’s article for the National Center on Disability and Journalism:

  • Doctors should screen their patients and only prescribe appropriate dosages of opioids when they are necessary.
  • Consider avoiding prescribing opioids if at all possible.
  • Patients should also be educated about the dangers of opioids, as well as the dangers of using opioids concurrently with other drugs and alcohol.

As the research shows, the opioid epidemic is especially dangerous for people with disabilities. Due to the various complications that often accompany a disability, people with disabilities are more likely to be prescribed opioids and more likely to develop an addiction. The lack of treatment options exacerbates the problem further. Only with improved awareness, greater access to treatment, and the development of alternative treatments will the opioid epidemic cease to pose such a threat to the disability community.

 

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