--- ---  # A New Study Shows Just How Much Doctors Prescribe Opioids  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 6:28 PM UTCPublished: Jul 28, 2018 4:33 PM UTC  Oxycodone pills. Oxycodone pills.Education Images—UIG via Getty Images  by [Jamie Ducharme](https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/)  ## Jamie Ducharme Ducharme is a contributor to TIME. Updated: Dec 12, 2023 6:28 PM UTCPublished: Jul 28, 2018 4:33 PM UTC After years of rising use, [federal data suggests](https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6626a4.htm?s%5Fcid=mm6626a4%5Fw) that opioid prescriptions are beginning to drop off in the U.S., perhaps in an effort to curtail a [substance abuse epidemic that continues to get worse](http://time.com/5187886/opioid-overdose-rates/). But new research suggests that many doctors are still prescribing these powerful drugs — even for relatively minor injuries. In fact, a quarter of patients treated for ankle sprains between 2011 and 2015 left the hospital with an opioid prescription, [according to a paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0196064418304980#!) published in the _Annals of Emergency Medicine._ To reach that finding, University of Pennsylvania researchers analyzed private insurance claims filed by almost 31,000 patients who had been treated in an emergency room for a sprained ankle. All of these patients were older than 18, and none had filled an opioid prescription during the prior six months. Overall, 25.1% of these patients received an opioid prescription, the researchers found. The average opioid prescription was relatively low-dose and supplied about 15 pills, or enough for three days, but a small number received prescriptions equivalent to more than 30 tablets of mid-strength oxycodone — which the [Drug Enforcement Administration says](https://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml) has “high potential for abuse.” Almost 5% of patients in the study who received prescriptions of this strength progressed to prolonged opioid use, compared to about 1% of patients who were written more moderate prescriptions and 0.5% of individuals who did not get an opioid prescription, the paper says. Prescription habits also varied widely from state to state, the researchers found: In Arkansas, for example, 40% of patients walked away with opioid prescriptions, compared to almost 3% of people in North Dakota. The paper also notes that overall prescription rates dropped during the study period, from 28% of patients in 2011 to 20.4% in 2015\. In 2016, a year after the research period ended, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [issued new, stricter guidelines](http://time.com/4259639/cdc-federal-government-national-standards-prescription-painkillers/) for prescribers. And in 2017, [CVS pharmacy began limiting access to opioids](http://time.com/4952176/cvs-pharmacy-opioid-epidemic/). The study, which was in part funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), is the latest to demonstrate how [doctor-prescribed opioids can contribute to long-term substance use](http://time.com/4675325/doctors-opioid-epidemic/). An estimated 80% of people who eventually use heroin first misused prescription drugs, [according to NIDA](https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/relationship-between-prescription-drug-heroin-abuse/prescription-opioid-use-risk-factor-heroin-use). Despite the prevalence of opioid medications, however, research suggests that [over-the-counter painkillers are just as effective](http://time.com/5012393/non-opioid-pain-relievers-just-as-effective-as-opioids/) for most injuries, and that many [Americans would prefer to treat pain without drugs](http://time.com/4936193/pain-relief-opioids/?iid=sr-link5). 25% of People With Sprained Ankles Were Prescribed Opioids ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5351906/opioid-prescriptions-sprained-ankles/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5351906/opioid-prescriptions-sprained-ankles/"},"headline":"A New Study Shows Just How Much Doctors Prescribe Opioids","datePublished":"2018-07-28T16:33:48.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T18:28:59.000Z","description":"Even for relatively minor injuries","url":"https://time.com/5351906/opioid-prescriptions-sprained-ankles/","keywords":["opioids","onetime","healthytime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt342f8a0eca4297bd/6989368e22fb857767e264a9/oxycodone.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jamie Ducharme","jobTitle":"Ducharme is a contributor to TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/jamie-ducharme/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt342f8a0eca4297bd/6989368e22fb857767e264a9/oxycodone.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Oxycodone narcotic pain reliever","caption":"Oxycodone narcotic pain reliever","creditText":"Education Images—UIG via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/opioids/","name":"opioids"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5351906/opioid-prescriptions-sprained-ankles/","name":"A New Study Shows Just How Much Doctors Prescribe Opioids"}}]}] ```