A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics found that in the course of 16 years, from January 2000 until December 2015, there were 188 468 prescription opioid-related exposures reported among people aged 20 years old and below.

According to the journal Pediatrics study; there was an annual increase in exposures early on in the study period, declining in 2009. The report concluded that the incidence of HCF admissions and serious medical outcomes were higher among teenagers. Additionally, children aged 0 to 5 years of age have been accounted for 90 percent of buprenorphine exposures.

It is alarming that 91 percent of patients who suffer from an opioid nonfatal overdose continue to get prescriptions for the drug following the overdose, according to researchers who examined a national database of health insurance claims. It is likewise alarming to note that overdose survivors were twice as likely to have another overdose incident within two years, which is "highly concerning," said authors of a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, as followed through by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The incidence of individuals being hooked on opioids varies on the amount of prescription given by the health professional. Accordingly, a one-day supply subjects a patient to a six-percent chance of retaking the drug for a year or longer. However, if the first prescription is for a three-day dosage, the probability of long-term use goes higher.

A 10-day supply can yield as much as 20 percent of still being on opioids a year later. According to professor of pharmaceutical evaluation and policy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science, and the study's lead author Bradley Martin, with a 10-day supply, about one-in-five patients become long-term users. Additionally, he said it is a fast rise that they did not really expect. The rest of the study's data informs that things just keep getting worse from there.

At least 91 people die of an opioid overdose in the US, according to CDC estimates.