A new public health survey in Canada suggests opioid prescriptions in the province are being handed out in higher numbers, but in smaller doses.
The study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported national statistics collected between 2012 and 2016.
RELATED: Canada’s opioid crisis is burdening the health care system, report warns
Manitoba showed daily doses of opioid drugs decreased from 7,752 in 2012 to 7,400 in 2016.
However, the actual number of prescriptions issued over the same period increased: from 619.5 prescriptions per thousand people in 2012 to 645.1 per thousand in 2016.
Codeine was the most frequently prescribed opioid, at 381.7 per thousand, followed by oxycodone at 89.5 per thousand.
RELATED: Manitoba announces fentanyl task force
A drug of concern for local and national emergency services, fentanyl, was the least prescribed of the top 6 opioids, with 16.7 prescriptions per thousand handed out in 2016.
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