Adolescent Opioid Exposures Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: To determine whether reports of selected opioid exposures reported to America's Poison Centers changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, among adolescents aged 12-17 years.

METHODS

We analyze all reported opioid exposures (n = 13,174) for adolescents aged 12-17 years in the United States, before and during COVID-19 (January 1, 2016-December 31, 2021). Outcome variables measured the rate of opioid exposures per 100,000 population, stratified by age, opioid type, and reason. We use linear regression to fit the time series for prepandemic outcomes and forecast exposures from March 2020 to December 2021, based on this trend. We compare forecasted and actual values to estimate the association between the pandemic and opioid exposures.

RESULTS

Reports of opioid exposure increased by 0.017 reports per 100,000 over the forecasted estimate (forecasted: 0.04 [95% confidence interval: 0.034-0.054], actual: 0.061, difference: 0.017, p < .05), equivalent to a 38.6% increase among adolescents aged 12-17 years. Reports due to intentional exposure and opioid misuse in adolescents aged 12-17 years increased.

DISCUSSION: Adolescents were at increased risk of opioid exposure following the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to be at risk despite many aspects of life returning to pre-COVID-19 normalcy.