TY - JOUR
PY - 2022//
TI - A national retrospective study of antidepressants' effects on overdose and self-harm among adults treated with opioid analgesics
JO - Psychiatric services
A1 - Sherry, Tisamarie B.
A1 - Nguyen, Thuy
A1 - Dick, Andrew W.
A1 - Bradford, Ashley C.
A1 - Simon, Kosali
A1 - Stein, Bradley D.
SP - ePub
EP - ePub
VL - ePub
IS - ePub
N2 - OBJECTIVE: Because individuals with a history of depression who are receiving opioids are at higher risk for adverse events, the authors examined whether antidepressant treatment reduces risk for overdose and self-harm among individuals with a history of depression who receive opioids.
METHODS: Commercial insurance claims of individuals with a history of depression receiving opioids from 2007 to 2017 were used to quantify the association between antidepressant fills and adverse events among individuals after initiation of opioid treatment; the authors accounted for selection into treatment and used discrete-time, proportional hazards survival models.
RESULTS: Among 283,374 adults with a history of depression treatment, 8,203 experienced 47,486 adverse events from 2007 to 2017 in the 12 months after initiation of opioid treatment. Approximately half (N=144,052, 50.8%) filled an antidepressant prescription at least once in the 12 months after the opioid episode began. Individuals receiving antidepressants for at least 6 weeks had a reduced risk for any adverse event (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.65-0.97) as well as a reduced risk for opioid overdoses (AOR=0.78, 95% CI=0.64-0.96), overdoses from nonopioid controlled substances (AOR=0.76, 95% CI=0.62-0.94), overdoses from other substances (AOR=0.79, 95% CI=0.65-0.97), and other self-harm events (AOR=0.82, 95% CI=0.67-1.00).
CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with a history of depression who received opioid analgesics had a significantly lower risk for overdose and self-harm after they had been taking antidepressants for at least 6 weeks. Universal screening for mood disorders among individuals receiving opioids, and promptly providing evidence-based depression treatment when appropriate, may reduce adverse events.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 1075-2730 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.20220070 ID - ref1 ER -