Florida Times-Union
by Matt Soergel

Nearly half of Americans think opioid abuse is a significant issue in their community — though 67 percent are confident they themselves wouldn’t become addicted if they were prescribed opioids for chronic pain. That’s one of the findings in the Mayo Clinic National Health Checkup, a survey of 1,270 adults that shows Americans have a high awareness of the risk of opioid addiction. Nearly all who responded — 94 percent — said they would pick an alternative treatment to opioids…Steven Porter, a Mayo physician, said that highlights the importance of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, during which people can drop off prescription drugs, including opioids, at law enforcement offices and other places.

Reach: The Florida Times-Union reaches more than 120,000 daily and 173,000 readers Sunday.

Additional coverage:

First Coast News, New study shows alternatives to opioids aren’t being discussed with patients

MinnPost, Many Americans have misconceptions about opioids, Mayo Clinic survey finds

Context: While nearly all Americans say they would choose an alternative to opioid pain relievers following surgery, few patients are talking to their health care provider about it, according to the Mayo Clinic National Health Checkup. This latest snapshot of Americans’ views on opioids comes at a time when opioid-related overdose deaths continue to climb. A record-breaking 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017, according to preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most of those deaths were related to opioids. You can read more on Mayo Clinic News Network.

Contact: Kevin Punsky

Tags: Dr. Steve Porter, Florida Times-Union, Mayo Clinic National Health Checkup, opioids, Uncategorized