For patients prescribed opioids, use of heroin was highly tied to use of other illicit drugs, researchers reported here.
Among a collection of 171,061 urine samples from patients prescribed opioid therapy, about 1.3% also tested positive for heroin use, according to Mancia Ko, PharmD, MBA, of Ameritox, LLC, a company in Baltimore that provides physicians with urine drug monitoring and reporting services.
Most notable, however, the investigators said, was that heroin use was strongly tied to use of other drugs -- for example, a 12.8 higher odds of use of cocaine (19.2% versus 1.8%, 95% CI 11.4-14.3), and a 2.2 higher odds of testing positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (12.5% versus 9.0%, 95% CI 1.9-2.5) compared with those who did not use heroin.
The findings were presented at the American Pain Society's Scientific Summit.
"Four out of five heroin users started with prescription opioids," Ko told MedPage Today during the poster session that included the study. "But another starting point is that patients are getting more tolerant, so they are abusing heroin, which is purer and cheaper to get their psychoactive high compared to just prescription-strength medication."