Opioid prescriptions on P.E.I. up and down, depending on drug

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.

HealthPEIreleased numbers onopioiduse on the Island toCBCNews 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 opioidis codeine, and it'sdown significantly.

Oxycodone down, hydromorphoneand morphine up

The province also saw a decrease in the numberof oxycodoneprescriptions, but a corresponding increase in the prescriptionsof 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