Canada-wide study shows teens prescribed opioids lack guidance and input on drug use

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Teens who need to use opioids to cope with health conditions say they lack the resources to properly manage their medications, according to a Canada-wide study.

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Health centers in Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Calgary and Vancouver participated in the study, each studying a specific group of young people affected by the health crisis and opioid overdoses.

In Montreal, the research group examined opioid prescription, which is one of the historical factors that contributed to the crisis. They met with young people who have cancer, scoliosis or an acute injury.

“For this group, we learned that they don’t get much help, whether it’s education about the opioids they’re prescribed, counseling for their health condition, or opioid use,” said graduate student and research coordinator Stephanie Nairn. “They face a lack of relevant information or even general information about the opioids they are prescribed.”

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Some of the teenagers had struggled with health issues for a long time, Nairn said, making the lack of information – real or imagined – all the more troubling.

Faced with this situation, young people either rely on their own experiences or try to find information online on how to use their medicines.

“They go to YouTube to watch videos about opioid use,” Nairn said. “You get a lot of information from these channels.”

And even if the teens do have access to doctors and nurses who could answer their questions, it’s unlikely they will seek them out, as discussions with healthcare professionals are almost always in the presence of a parent or guardian, and they don’t feel like it You are part of the conversation.

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Adolescents told researchers they felt the double stigma of being ill and having to use opioids.

However, Nairn points out that previous studies have shown that even a single dose of opioids increases the likelihood of addiction and overdose, adding that “it’s possible that the lack of information is making things worse.”

Opioid use among young people is having a devastating impact. From 2000 to 2015, some provinces recorded an increase in opioid use deaths among 15-24 year olds. Between 2013 and 2017, opioid intoxication increased rapidly among adolescents aged 15 to 24 and adults aged 25 to 44.

A recent study in Ontario showed that the overdose rate among users under the age of 35 had increased by 320 percent in the early stages of the 2020 pandemic. However, the study found that most interventions to combat opioid abuse have targeted adults and men since statistics up until the mid-2000s suggested the problem was limited to adult addicts.

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Meanwhile, the availability of services for young people remains limited.

“We need a new approach,” Nairn said. “To reduce the risks associated with the use of prescribed opioids, and we know they exist, we need to involve young people in the development of public health policies, just as we have done with adults.”

The research program was led by Patricia Conrod, Researcher at the Center de recherche du CHU Sainte-Justine and Professor of Psychiatry and Addiction at the Université de Montréal, and Sherry Stewart, Professor of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University.

The studies will be published in the June 2022 issue of the Canadian Journal of Addiction.