But use of prescriptionpainkillers leveled off from 2015 to 2018, while prescriptions for nonopioid pain meds rose, according to the report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Between 2015 and 2018, nearly 11% of American adults aged 20 and over used at least one prescription opioid like oxycodone or a nonopioid like Celebrex, investigators found. Use of any prescription pain medication was highest among whites , compared to Blacks and Hispanics . Use was lowest among Asians .
Wasan said other studies looking at doctors' prescribing practices have found fewer opioids prescribed for chronic pain. "Unfortunately, a lot of that has been made worse by insurance companies that have become very restrictive on opioid prescribing," he noted.