People who have been prescribed an opioid to control pain are fairly likely to share those drugs with someone they know, especially if they are convinced that person is in pain.
That's what a survey of people who received an opioid prescription in 2015 revealed. Researchers gathered data from more than 1,000 painkiller users. They asked whether they ever shared their meds, how they stored them, and how they disposed of them when they were done with them.
The responses indicated that about one in five shared their drugs, usually with a friend or family member who was in pain.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
