Most Americans Know Little About Opioid Medication

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By Pat Anson, PNN Editor

Before the Covid-19 pandemic dominated the nation’s headlines, the opioid crisis was widely considered the most serious public health threat in the United States, with much of the news coverage and public attitudes focused on the role played by opioid pain medication.

A 2017 Pew Research survey found that 3 out of 4 Americans viewed prescription drug abuse as a serious public health problem. Another survey that year found that nearly half of Americans had a family member or close friend addicted to drugs.

It turns out most Americans know surprisingly little about opioid medication. A recent survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults by DrFirst, a healthcare technology company, found a significant lack of understanding about opioids.      

While more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents think they know whether or not they were prescribed an opioid, only 22% could correctly identify seven commonly prescribed opioid painkillers. The following medications were misidentified as not containing opioids:

  • Tramadol (44%)

  • Hydromorphone (32%)

  • Morphine sulfate (27%)

  • Methadone (27%)

  • Hydrocodone (23%)

  • Fentanyl (22%)

  • Oxycodone (15%)

Many respondents also misidentified non-opioid medications. Nearly three quarters (73%) thought oxytocin was an opioid (apparently confusing it with oxycodone), even though it’s a hormone that helps women bond with their newborn babies.

Other medications that were often misidentified as opioids:    

  • Oxymetolazine (56%)

  • Trazodone (46%)

  • Omeprazole (33%)

  • Hydrocortisone (31%)

  • Hyaluronic acid (23%)

“American consumers have some significant and dangerous misunderstandings about which medicines contain opioids,” said Colin Banas, MD, vice-president of clinical products for DrFirst. “This is concerning because patients need to know if they are prescribed an opioid so they can use and store it safely. It should be a wake-up call to physicians and pharmacists, who should not assume their patients know this information.”

One out of five survey respondents said they had been prescribed an opioid in the past year, but 21% of them said they didn’t get the prescription filled.

Over three-quarters of those who did get their prescriptions filled did not keep their opioids in a locked cabinet, as some safety experts recommend. Most kept the drugs within easy reach.

  • In a locked cabinet (23%)

  • On a nightstand table (14%)

  • Kitchen table (13%)

  • Bathroom cabinet (13%)

  • Purse or backpack (10%)

  • Bathroom counter (10%)

The DrFirst survey of 1,002 American adults was conducted online by Propeller Insights from June 16 to June 19, 2020.