61 msfocusmagazine.org For more information on the use of opioids for chronic pain The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose Journal of the American Medical Association Patient Pages: Go to the patient page link on JAMA’s website at www.jamanetwork.com. On this link there is a patient page title, “Opioids for Chronic Pain” Alarming Statistics in the U.S. In 2016: • 11.5 million people misused prescription opioid products, with 2.1 million people misusing prescription opioids for the first time • 2.1 million people experienced an opioid use disorder • 948,000 people used heroin, with 170,000 people using heroin for the first time • 42,249 people died from overdosing on opioid products • 7,087 deaths were attributed to overdosing on commonly used prescription opioid products • 19,413 deaths were attributed to overdosing on synthetic opioid products other than methadone • 15,469 deaths were attributed to heroin overdoses