@article{ref1,
title="Trends in overdose deaths involving gabapentinoids and Z-drugs in the United States",
journal="Drug and alcohol dependence",
year="2023",
author="Powell, David and Shetty, Kanaka D. and Peet, Evan D.",
volume="249",
number="",
pages="e109952-e109952",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: As policies have been implemented to limit access to prescription opioids, other drugs have been prescribed off-label, sometimes concurrently with opioids, to manage pain. There are concerns about the use of gabapentinoids and &quot;Z-drugs&quot; with opioids. As the opioid crisis transitions to illicit opioids and polysubstance use, little work quantifies the concurrent involvement of non-opioid prescription drugs and illicit opioids in overdose deaths. <br><br>METHODS: Data from the census of deaths in the United States for 1999-2020 were used to understand trends in deaths involving gabapentinoids/Z-drugs and opioid co-involvement. These trends were studied overall and by sex, race, age, and education. <br><br>RESULTS: Per capita overdose deaths involving gabapentinoids/Z-drugs increased almost continuously since 1999, averaging 15.8% annual growth. This rate increased to 32% in 2020, primarily due to overdoses involving synthetic opioids. Women typically had higher rates of overdose deaths involving both opioids and gabapentinoids/Z-drugs, though this disparity disappeared in 2020. White Americans and American Indians/Alaskan Natives historically had higher rates than other racial groups; however, Black Americans experienced over 60% annual growth in recent years. Low education groups have been disproportionately impacted. The age incidence tends to be older than overdoses involving opioids more generally. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Overdose deaths involving opioids and gabapentinoids/Z-drugs have tended to disproportionately affect women and older age groups compared to all opioid-involved overdoses. As deaths involving synthetic opioids likely reflect use of illicitly-obtained opioids, there may be less of a role for policies targeting the concurrent prescribing of gabapentinoids/Z-drugs with opioids to reduce these deaths.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0376-8716",
doi="10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109952",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2023.109952"
}