Opioid prescriptions on P.E.I. up and down, depending on drug
Number of individuals with methadone prescriptions more than quadrupled from 2010 to 2016
The numbers reflecting prescription opioid use on Prince Edward Island over the last seven years show more prescriptions being written, but fewer people getting those prescriptions.
While the number of prescriptions is up, if you exclude methadone, largely prescribed to treat narcotic addiction, the overall number is falling.
Health PEI released numbers on opioid use on the Island to CBC News on Friday.
There is a similar picture in the number of individuals prescribed opioids.
The number of individuals with methadone prescriptions more than quadrupled from 2010 to 2016, from 230 to 951.
Codeine most common
The most commonly prescribed opioid is codeine, and it's down significantly.
| 2010 | 2016 | |
| Prescriptions | 11,218 | 9,018 |
| Users | 18,789 | 14,164 |
Oxycodone down, hydromorphone and morphine up
The province also saw a decrease in the number of oxycodone prescriptions, but a corresponding increase in the prescriptions of hydromorphone and morphine.
- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Immigration will continue to drive housing market, says CMHC
- MORE P.E.I. NEWS | Dennis Ellsworth shares special memory of Gord Downie