More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults were taking opioids to deal with their chronic pain in 2019, according to a new CDC report based on a large, national survey that asked people about opioid prescriptions in the three months prior to being surveyed.

Highlights:

  • Use of opioids for pain increased with age, but declined after age 65;
  • Women, people who are unemployed, and individuals with family income below the federal poverty level were more likely to report an opioid prescription

Read the report

CDC: More than 20% of US adults take opioids for chronic pain
Kate Smith, MD, MPH General