Addictions Treatment Blog

According to the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, which reports drug abuse statistics among teens, most prescription drug addiction remained fairly steady in 2009 with the exception of Adderall and Oxycontin.

It would appear, though, that another prescription drug may be taking its place. Adderall, another stimulant used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was included in the survey for the first time this year; in 2009 it shows annual prevalence rates of use outside of medical supervision of 2 percent, 6 percent, and 5 percent in grades 8, 10, and 12, respectively.

The picture for OxyContin is a little less clear. At all three grades, OxyContin use is higher today than it was when its use was first measured in 2002, although only 10th grade showed an increase in 2009 (+0.9 percentage points, not significant). The annual prevalence rates are now 2 percent, 5 percent, and 5 percent, respectively for OxyContin at the three grade levels. Whether this one-year increase at 10th grade is real, or simply a sampling artifact, will have to wait another year to be resolved. But the main point is that these two dangerous and highly addictive narcotic drugs remain at high levels of use among American teens.