A study published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society examined the effects of the 2014 federal hydrocodone rescheduling policy on opioid use among the elderly.
The 2014 policy reclassified all hydrocodone products and made them more controlled. It also limited hydrocodone prescriptions to a 30-day supply with no refills.
Researchers studied a 20 percent national sample of Medicare enrollment and claims data from 2012 through 2015.
They saw a "24 percent increase in opioid-related hospitalizations in Medicare patients without documented opioid prescriptions, which may represent an increase in illegal use," said Yong-Fang Kuo, professor in the preventive medicine and community health department at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which conducted the study.
Additionally, 10 percent of the national sample studied were people enrolled in Medicare prior to age of 65 due to a disability. They comprised 25 percent of chronic opioid users and 40 percent of high-dose users in 2015.