Opioids are a group of drugs commonly prescribed to treat pain. Some drugs in the class can also be used as cough suppressants or as treatments for opioid addiction. The safety of prescription opioid use and the rate at which these medications are being prescribed has been of considerable concern across Ontario over the past twenty years.
This report is the first to link data from the Narcotic Monitoring System (NMS) to information from other health databases to obtain detailed information about characteristics of opioid users and also builds on the Health Quality Ontario report, 9 Million Prescriptions, which was the first report to use the NMS data.
The report, Behind the Prescriptions, describes characteristics and patterns of opioid use in the entire population of Ontario, including demographics, use of health services, and geographic variations across three broad indications: pain, cough, and addiction.
Access the full report and associated resources:
Report Infographic Map by PHU Map by LHIN Press Release
Maps by Ontario Public Health Unit
Hover over each map to see specific rates and numbers for each public health unit. Also available by Local Health Integration Unit.
[For optimal viewing, click the FULL SCREEN option in the bottom right corner or view it here]