TABLE 2.
Opioid Prescriptions Dispensed by Rhode Island Retail Pharmacies in 2015
| Characteristic | Number of Prescriptions (%) | Prescription Cost, $ | % Total Cost | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) | Median | Total | |||
| Overall | 651,227 | 67.98 (210.91) | 21.08 | 44,271,827.00 | 100.00 |
| Age group, years | |||||
| < 18 | 7,889 (1.21) | 20.78 (41.63) | 8.54 | 163,902.33 | 0.37 |
| 18-24 | 22,794 (3.50) | 15.45 (43.29) | 7.02 | 352,063.77 | 0.80 |
| 25-34 | 57,597 (8.84) | 34.55 (145.80) | 9.36 | 1,990,258.63 | 4.50 |
| 35-44 | 84,085 (12.91) | 61.08 (223.88) | 16.47 | 5,135,736.95 | 11.60 |
| 45-54 | 144,608 (22.21) | 81.01 (247.86) | 22.95 | 11,714,458.06 | 26.46 |
| 55-64 | 162,352 (24.93) | 90.07 (251.01) | 25.32 | 14,622,945.43 | 33.03 |
| ≥ 65 | 171,902 (26.40) | 59.87 (154.39) | 22.95 | 10,292,461.84 | 23.25 |
| Medication type | |||||
| Butorphanol | 355 (0.05) | 163.90 (109.88) | 163.59 | 58,184.34 | 0.13 |
| Codeine based | 37,100 (5.70) | 6.86 (6.99) | 4.43 | 254,557.96 | 0.57 |
| Fentanyl | 15,169 (2.33) | 204.43 (552.01) | 126.66 | 3,101,069.73 | 7.00 |
| Hydrocodone | 253,850 (38.98) | 34.15 (54.21) | 21.42 | 8,668,532.13 | 19.58 |
| Hydromorphone | 9,717 (1.47) | 209.70 (554.09) | 18.23 | 2,037,677.97 | 4.60 |
| Levorphanol | 9 (0.00) | 560.08 (907.64) | 103.12 | 5,040.76 | 0.01 |
| Meperidine | 261 (0.04) | 29.20 (24.95) | 19.13 | 7,620.44 | 0.02 |
| Methadone | 7,156 (1.10) | 41.82 (32.23) | 29.70 | 299,254.81 | 0.68 |
| Morphine | 35,462 (5.45) | 108.67 (267.76) | 40.22 | 3,853,808.20 | 8.70 |
| Oxycodone | 281,225 (43.18) | 84.69 (235.80) | 21.18 | 23,817,051.40 | 53.80 |
| Oxymorphone | 1,810 (0.28) | 595.72 (512.60) | 439.68 | 1,078,255.85 | 2.44 |
| Pentazocine | 341 (0.05) | 173.27 (178.45) | 178.75 | 59,084.86 | 0.13 |
| Tapentadol | 1,103 (0.17) | 492.86 (293.16) | 421.98 | 543,626.74 | 1.23 |
| Othersa | 7,669 (1.18) | 63.64 (99.66) | 38.16 | 488,061.81 | 1.10 |
| MME dailyb | |||||
| ≤ 50 | 430,519 (66.11) | 30.28 (53.62) | 14.39 | 13,034,889.82 | 29.44 |
| 50-90 | 135,105 (20.75) | 70.26 (137.46) | 28.51 | 9,492,612.15 | 21.44 |
| 90+ | 81,145 (12.46) | 265.42 (513.27) | 87.73 | 21,537,624.36 | 48.65 |
| Generic or brand | |||||
| Generic | 612,585 (94.07) | 43.90 (116.21) | 19.13 | 26,891,547.96 | 60.74 |
| Brand | 38,642 (5.93) | 449.78 (616.97) | 279.43 | 17,380,279.05 | 39.26 |
| Duration of action | |||||
| Short acting | 579,849 (89.04) | 38.27 (128.72) | 16.47 | 22,190,457.00 | 50.12 |
| Long acting | 71,378 (10.96) | 309.36 (453.68) | 136.26 | 22,081,370.01 | 49.88 |
| Payment typec | |||||
| Commercial | 332,088 (50.99) | 65.55 (213.46) | 19.00 | 21,769,832.09 | 49.17 |
| Medicare | 191,554 (29.41) | 85.31 (240.12) | 28.08 | 16,341,749.85 | 36.91 |
| Medicaid | 51,490 (7.91) | 52.15 (154.24) | 15.13 | 2,685,118.58 | 6.07 |
| Private pay | 60,548 (9.30) | 37.18 (97.84) | 14.39 | 2,251,262.97 | 5.09 |
| Otherd | 15,546 (2.39) | 78.72 (234.92) | 20.11 | 1,223,849.24 | 2.76 |
aPrimarily opioid-containing cough products (see Appendix B, available in online article).
bUnable to determine MME for 0.68% of observations.
cIf patient was aged ≥ 65 years with commercial insurance, then payment type was reclassified as Medicare. Method of payment was missing for 1 prescription.
dIncludes worker’s compensation, Indian Health Services, Veterans Health Administration, Tricare, and other federal sources.
MME = morphine milligram equivalent; SD = standard deviation.