Citation

Wei YJ, Chen C, Schmidt SO, LoCiganic WH, Winterstein AG. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019; 204: 107600.

Affiliation

Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, University of Florida College of Pharmacy, 1225 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida Colleges of Medicine and Public Health and Health Professions, 2004 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA; Center for Drug Evaluation and Safety, College of Pharmacy, 1225 Center Drive, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.107600

PMID

31586806

Abstract

BACKGROUND: With increasing efforts to scrutinize and reduce opioid prescribing, limited data exist on the recent trend in receipt of prescription pain medications before diagnosis of opioid use disorder (OUD) or opioid-related overdose (OD).

METHODS: Using 2005-2016 Truven MarketScan Commercial Claims databases, we assessed trends in annual 1) incidence of OUD or OD and 2) prevalence of receipt of prescription opioids or four commonly-prescribed adjuvant analgesics among patients newly diagnosed with OUD/OD. Trends were examined in the overall sample and by 3 age groups, including youths (≤18 years), adults (19-64 years), and older adults (≥65 years).

RESULTS: The incidence of diagnosed OUD or OD increased more than 3-fold from 4.99 to 23.81 per 10,000 persons from 2006 to 2016, with the highest increase (14.18-fold) seen in older adults, followed by adults (3.53-fold), and youths (0.16-fold). Between 2006 and 2016, the proportion of patients with incident OUD/OD who received anticonvulsant adjuvant analgesics in the year before diagnosis increased (from 23.4% to 34.3% [P-trend = .005]) whereas the proportion receiving high-dose prescriptions opioids decreased (from 45.5% to 34.8% [P-trend =<.001]). A decreasing trend was observed in general for tricyclic antidepressants and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

DISCUSSION: In US commercially insured patients newly diagnosed with OUD/OD, receipt of high-dose opioid prescriptions preceding the diagnosis decreased over time, paralleled by increased use of anticonvulsants commonly prescribed for pain conditions. Further investigations are warranted to understand how prescribed and anticonvulsants contribute to the development of OUD/OD.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Incidence of OUD or opioid-related overdose; Opioid use disorders; Prescription opioid and adjuvant analgesics