title: Misuse of Prescribed Pain Medication in a Military Population-A Self-Reported Survey to Assess a Correlation With Age, Deployment, Combat Illnesses, or Injury?
abstract: Opioid misuse is a growing epidemic among the civilian and military communities. Five hundred prospective, anonymous surveys were collected in the emergency department waiting room of a military tertiary care hospital over 3 weeks. Demographics, medical and military characteristics were investigated for association with opioid use. Univariate logistic models were used to characterize the probability of misuse in relation to the demographic, medical, and military-specific variables. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder were investigated within different age cohorts with adjustment for deployment. The opioid misuse rate disclosed by the subject was 31%. Subjects with TBI were less likely to misuse opioids. We found a trend among younger cohorts to have a higher likelihood for misusing opioids when diagnosed with TBI or posttraumatic stress disorder with history of deployment in the past 5 years. The most common form of misuse was using a previously prescribed medication for a new pain. Traumatic brain injury and/or enrollment in post-deployment recovery programs maybe protective against opioid misuse. Chronic opioid use among young soldiers maybe viewed as a weakness that could influence opioid misuse. Younger cohorts of active duty service members could be at higher risk for misuse. Efforts to enhance close monitoring of misuse should address these at-risk populations.
authors.affiliation: 1Emergency Medicine, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC), San Antonio Military Medical Center, San Antonio, TX; 2San Antonio Military Medical Center/Air Force Enroute Care Research Center, San Antonio, TX; 3Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO; 4Department of Emergency Medicine, San Antonio Military Medical Center, San Antonio, TX; and 5Research and Student Programs, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX.
authors.forename: Sasha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.forename: Vikhyat S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Bebarta
authors.forename: Shawn M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Varney
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ganem
authors.forename: Lee A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Zarzabal
authors.forename: Jennifer S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Potter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D063487:Prescription Drug Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D000067398:War-Related Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid