Many patients continue misusing prescription drugs, suggests a study released Monday by Quest Diagnostics.
The multi-year analysis of 3,143,739 de-identified test results revealed that 54 percent of adults tested in 2015 showed evidence of prescription drug misuse. That's a modest increase compared to 53 percent in 2014 and a significant improvement compared to 63 percent in 2011.
The study, which is based on results of patients tested in 49 states and Washington, D.C., between 2011 and 2015. also found that 44 percent of children ages 10-17 who were drug-tested last year misused their prescription medications, a significant decrease from approximately 70 percent in 2011.
Patients who misuse medications may have either taken too much, too little or none of their medications, or their test results showed they were using other drugs that had not been prescribed, including illicit drugs, The Washington Post reports.
The report noted the study also broke down regional results for adult patients. According to The Washington Post, the study found that the highest rate of misuse, nearly 66 percent, occurred in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The lowest rate of misuse, about 51 percent, occurred in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Additionally, the study included heroin test results. In adults 18 years and older, 28.6 percent of positive heroin test results were also positive for benzodiazepines and in 92.3 percent of these results, benzodiazepines were not prescribed, the study found.