To determine how many BC youth with opioid use disorder are treated with medications, researchers reviewed prescriptions in health administrative databases. They found that of 446 adolescents with this diagnosis, 36.5% were prescribed a related medication between 1996 and 2018. Among these young people, 60.1% received buprenorphine/naloxone and 38.0% methadone. Still, researchers found that teens were about half as likely to receive a medication for opioid use disorder compared with older adults — despite this treatment being an important component in addressing the opioid crisis.

For more information, see Vol. 18, No. 3 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.