Global Prescription Trends

• Every day in the US, 1,800 teenagers abuse a prescription pain reliever for the first time.
• In total, 570,000 teens admitted to misusing prescription painkillers, with nearly half taking a prescription stimulant like Adderall, Concerta or Ritalin.
• When teens were asked about the dangers of experimenting with prescription drugs, only 30 percent felt misusing sedatives was risky, 34 percent thought misusing stimulants was risky and 43 percent believed abusing opioids was risky.
• Prescription drug abuse is a global problem, particularly in Europe, Southern Africa and South Asia, but it is most common in the United States.
• In the US alone, more than 14.4 million people abuse prescription drugs, about the same as the combined number of cocaine, hallucinogen and heroin abusers.
• Prescription opioid painkillers cause the largest share of overdose deaths.
• Drug overdoses now surpass 100,000 deaths annually, with nearly 80,000 caused by opioids.

Prescription drugs continue to be the third most prevalent substance abused by teens, behind alcohol and marijuana.

• One in four teens has abused prescription drugs at some point in their life—a 33 percent increase over the past 12 years.
• Nearly one in three teens believe that prescription drugs are much safer than illegal street drugs. About 42 percent say they get drugs from home medicine cabinets, while 49 percent obtain them from friends.
• Studies show that teens who abuse prescription drugs are twice as likely to use marijuana and five times more likely to use illegal street drugs like cocaine, Ecstasy and heroin.

Updated: 2025