title: Nonmedical use of prescription opioids by adolescents: a review of the literature.
abstract: Concomitant with increases in prescriptions for controlled opioids, rates of nonmedical use of prescription opioids (NMUPO) have increased, including among adolescents aged 12-19 years. Adolescent NMUPO poses particular problems for clinicians, as prescribing physicians and dentists serve as the primary source of opioids for NMUPO in the majority of cases. Furthermore, early initiation of NMUPO appears to increase the risk of developing opioid dependence in adulthood. Given the significant morbidity and mortality associated with adolescent NMUPO, steps taken by clinicians to limit the scope of this phenomenon are needed. This article aims to aid clinicians by reviewing the literature on adolescent NMUPO and making specific recommendations to limit the scope of adolescent NMUPO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666, TX, USA. schepis@txstate.edu.
authors.forename: Ty S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Schepis