Millennium Health's Signals Report™ Identifies Regional and Historical Trends Regarding Prescription and Illicit Drug Use in the United States

SAN DIEGO, March 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Health, in close collaboration with independent clinical experts, has analyzed its proprietary database of millions of drug test results from the last five years to answer some of the most pressing questions associated with trends in medication use and substance abuse today. The findings from this analysis, published in the Millennium Health Signals Report™, highlight the following trends:

• The prevalence of fentanyl-laced heroin has been on the rise across the United States since 2013, with the incidence of this deadly combination higher in specific geographic regions.
• Samples from patients undergoing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with buprenorphine/naloxone tested positive for a broad range of unexpected medications and illicit substances.
• The percent of samples positive for gabapentin without a reported prescription, relative to the total number of prescriptions written, has remained consistent since 2014 on a national level but varies substantially by state.

According to Kevin L. Zacharoff, MD, FACIP, FACPE, FAAP, Faculty and Clinical Instructor, SUNY Stony Brook School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, "A number of important clinically meaningful findings are illustrated in this report. Most importantly, in my opinion, is that there may be a high likelihood of unexpected urine drug test results. It is imperative to use these data to help clinicians understand how important it is not only to recognize the unexpected result, but also what steps should be taken to then manage patients as safely and efficaciously as possible in all clinical settings."

This publication represents the latest advance in Millennium Health's ongoing commitment to service, support and clinical education. "Millennium Health has over a decade of experience in providing medication monitoring services and has maintained a strong dedication to providing best-in-class clinical resource support for our customers," said Angela G. Huskey, PharmD, CPE, Chief Clinical Officer of Millennium Health. "Our goal with this report is to bring attention to the trends in drug use and misuse detected by our testing services and provide resources that can be used to help better identify and treat family members, friends, and community members coping with the devastating disease of addiction."

A copy of the full report can be accessed on the Millennium Health website. 

About Millennium Health 

Millennium Health is a specialty laboratory that provides objective and definitive testing services to assist in the treatment of patients with chronic pain, behavioral health and substance use disorders. Our unsurpassed clinical expertise and laboratory experience allows us to provide best-in-class, compliance-focused solutions through our Urine Drug Testing (UDT) and Oral Fluid Drug Testing (OFT) services. We also offer Pharmacogenetic testing (Millennium PGT℠) that identifies how genetic profiles may impact responses to certain medications. More information can be found at millenniumhealth.com.

SOURCE Millennium Health, LLC