Nearly 6 in 10 children are prescribed opioids after a tonsillectomy

Some 60% of children receive a prescription for at least one kind of opioid pain medication after a tonsillectomy, according to new research. Here’s more: 

• The design: Researchers looked at 2016 and 2017 claims data from one large private health insurer to get a sample of nearly 16,000 children under 18 who underwent tonsillectomies and who had prescriptions for opioids. 
• The findings: The average duration for prescriptions was eight days, and Vicodin was the most commonly prescribed drug. Some 3% had prescriptions for codeine, even though a 2013 black box warning recommended against taking the drug following tonsillectomies in those under 18. 
• Some caveats: The sample did not include children with public insurance, and the sample overrepresented children from the South and Midwest. And just because children were prescribed opioids doesn’t mean they necessarily took the drugs.