Risk Of Long-term Opioid Use Research Articles

Predictors of Long-term Opioid Use Following Lumbar Fusion Surgery.

A population-based retrospective cohort study. The aim of this study was to examine risk factors for long-term opioid use following lumbar spinal fusion surgery in a nationally representative cohort of commercially insured adults. Opioid prescription rates for the management of low back pain have more than doubled in the US over the past decade. Although opioids are commonly used for the management of pain following lumbar spinal fusion surgery, to date, no large-scale nationally representative studies have examined the risk factors for long-term opioid use following such surgical intervention. Using one of the nation's largest commercial insurance databases, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 8377 adults, aged 21 to 63 years, who underwent lumbar spinal fusion surgery between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2012. Long-term opioid use was defined as ≥365 days of filled opioid prescriptions in the 24 months following lumbar fusion. Multivariable logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals for the risk of long-term opioid use following lumbar fusion. After adjusting for covariates, the following factors were associated with an increased risk of long-term opioid use following surgery: duration of opioid use in the year before lumbar surgery [Referent (0 days); Quartile 1 (1-22 days) OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.48-3.49; Quartile 2 (23-72 days): OR = 5.94, 95% CI = 4.00-8.83; Quartile 3: (73-250 days) OR = 25.31, 95% CI = 17.26-37.10; Quartile 4 (≥250 days) OR = 219.95, 95% CI = 148.53-325.71)], refusion surgery (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.02-1.72), and diagnosis of depression (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.18-1.74). Receipt of anterior fusion was associated with a modest decrease in the risk of long-term opioid use (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.63-0.99). These findings may provide clinically relevant information to physicians, patients, and their families regarding the risk factors for opioid dependence following lumbar fusion surgery. 3.

Prescription Opioids in Adolescence and Future Opioid Misuse.

Legitimate opioid use is associated with an increased risk of long-term opioid use and possibly misuse in adults. The objective of this study was to estimate the risk of future opioid misuse among adolescents who have not yet graduated from high school. Prospective, panel data come from the Monitoring the Future study. The analysis uses a nationally representative sample of 6220 individuals surveyed in school in 12th grade and then followed up through age 23. Analyses are stratified by predicted future opioid misuse as measured in 12th grade on the basis of known risk factors. The main outcome is nonmedical use of a prescription opioid at ages 19 to 23. Predictors include use of a legitimate prescription by 12th grade, as well as baseline history of drug use and baseline attitudes toward illegal drug use. Legitimate opioid use before high school graduation is independently associated with a 33% increase in the risk of future opioid misuse after high school. This association is concentrated among individuals who have little to no history of drug use and, as well, strong disapproval of illegal drug use at baseline. Use of prescribed opioids before the 12th grade is independently associated with future opioid misuse among patients with little drug experience and who disapprove of illegal drug use. Clinic-based education and prevention efforts have substantial potential to reduce future opioid misuse among these individuals, who begin opioid use with strong attitudes against illegal drug use.

Early opioid prescription and risk of long-term opioid use among US workers with back and shoulder injuries: a retrospective cohort study

The number of prescription opioid overdose deaths has increased dramatically in recent years and many prescribers are unsure how to balance treatment of pain with secondary prevention. Guidelines recommend low-severity...

Long-term Analgesic Use After Low-Risk Surgery

This study evaluated the risk of long-term analgesic use after low-risk surgery in older adults not previously prescribed analgesics. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using linked, population-based administrative data in Ontario, Canada, from April 1, 1997, through December 31, 2008. We identified Ontario residents 66 years and older who were dispensed an opioid within 7 days of a short-stay surgery (cataract surgery, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, transurethral resection of the prostate, or varicose vein stripping) and assessed the risk of long-term opioid use, defined as a prescription for an opioid within 60 days of the 1-year anniversary of the surgery. In a secondary analysis, we examined the risk of long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). We used multivariate logistic regression to examine the association between postsurgical use of analgesics and long-term use. Among 391,139 opioid-naive patients undergoing short-stay surgery, opioids were newly prescribed to 27,636 patients (7.1%) within 7 days of being discharged from the hospital, and opioids were prescribed to 30,145 patients (7.7%) at 1 year from surgery. An increase in the use of oxycodone was found during this time (from 5.4% within 7 days to 15.9% at 1 year). In our primary analysis, patients receiving an opioid prescription within 7 days of surgery were 44% more likely to become long-term opioid users within 1 year compared with those who received no such prescription (adjusted odds ratio, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.39-1.50). In a secondary analysis, among 383,780 NSAID-naive patients undergoing short-stay surgery, NSAIDs were prescribed to 1169 patients (0.3%) within 7 days of discharge and to 30,080 patients (7.8%) at 1 year from surgery. Patients who began taking NSAIDs within 7 days of surgery were almost 4 times more likely to become long-term NSAID users compared with patients with no such prescription (adjusted odds ratio, 3.74; 95% CI, 3.27-4.28). Prescription of analgesics immediately after ambulatory surgery occurs frequently in older adults and is associated with long-term use.

Mental Health Disorders and Long-term Opioid Use Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Chronic Pain

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between mental health disorders and subsequent risk for long-term opioid use among adolescents and young adults presenting with common chronic pain complaints (back pain, neck pain, headache, and arthritis/joint pain). Using claims data from January 1, 2001 to June 30, 2008, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of opioid use patterns among 13-24-year-old subjects presenting with a new episode of chronic pain. Long-term opioid use was defined as receiving >90 days of opioids within a 6-month period with no gap of >30 days in use of opioids in the 18 months after the first qualifying pain diagnosis. Mental health disorders were identified from claims in the 6 months before the first qualifying pain diagnosis. Fifty-nine thousand seventy-seven youth met criteria for a new episode of chronic pain. Among these youth, 321 (.5%) met criteria for long-term opioid use, and 16,172 (27.4%) had some opioid use. After controlling for demographic and clinical factors, youth with preexisting mental health diagnoses had a 2.4-fold increased risk of subsequently receiving long-term opioids versus no opioids (odds ratio = 2.36, 95% confidence interval = 1.73-3.23) and a 1.8-fold increased likelihood of receiving long-term opioids versus some opioids (odds ratio = 1.83, 95% confidence interval = 1.34-2.50). Mental health disorders are associated with increased risk for long-term opioid use among adolescents and emerging young adults. Further study is warranted to examine risks and benefits of long-term opioid use in this population.