Here are five insights:
1. Despite the national decrease, opioid prescribing is still high and differs among counties. In 2015, the amount of opioids prescribed per capita was about three times more than it was in 1999.
2. Six times more opioids per resident were dispensed in counties with the highest prescribing amounts compared to the lowest-prescribing counties.
3. The report found between 2006 and 2015, opioid prescriptions peaked in 2010 with 782 morphine milligram equivalents per person. This number decreased to 640 MME in 2015.
4. From 2010 to 2015, daily MME per prescription decreased 17 percent.
5. Between 2006 and 2015, the average days’ supply per prescription rose 33 percent, hitting 18 days in 2015.
“The amount of opioids prescribed in the U.S. is still too high, with too many opioid prescriptions for too many days at too high a dosage,” said Anne Schuchat, MD, CDC acting director.
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