Characteristics of patients with long-term and short-term use of prescription opioids
| Characteristic | Group; no (%) of participants | Difference in proportion,* % (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long-term use n = 4172 | Short-term use n = 120 492 | ||
| Demographic and clinical | |||
| Age group, yr | |||
| 18 to 44 | 459 (11.0) | 35 000 (29.0) | −18.2 (−19.0 to −17.0) |
| 45 to 54 | 568 (13.6) | 16 688 (13.8) | −0.3 (−1.3 to 0.0) |
| 55 to 64 | 752 (18.0) | 20 681 (17.2) | +0.8 (0.0 to 2.1) |
| 65 to 74 | 851 (20.4) | 27 085 (22.5) | −2.1 (−3.3 to −0.8) |
| 75 to 84 | 852 (20.4) | 15 077 (12.5) | +7.9 (6.7 to 9.2) |
| ≥ 85 | 690 (16.5) | 5961 (4.9) | +11.5 (10.5 to 12.8) |
| Sex | |||
| Male | 1627 (39.0) | 53 517 (44.4) | −5.4 (−6.9 to −3.9) |
| Female | 2545 (61.0) | 66 975 (55.6) | +5.4 (3.9 to 6.9) |
| Region of residence | |||
| Urban | 1275 (30.6) | 39 419 (32.7) | −2.2 (−3.6 to −0.7) |
| Semi-urban | 1695 (40.6) | 47 768 (39.6) | +1.0 (0.0 to 2.5) |
| Rural | 1178 (28.2) | 32 902 (27.3) | +0.9 (0.0 to 2.3) |
| Unknown | 24 (0.6) | 403 (0.3) | +0.2 (0.1 to 0.5) |
| Socioeconomic status | |||
| Beneficiary of drug program (< 65 yr) | 853 (20.4) | 52 374 (43.5) | −23.0 (−24.3 to −21.7) |
| Welfare recipient | 942 (22.6) | 20 351 (16.9) | +5.7 (4.4 to 7.0) |
| Low income (≥ 65 yr) | 261 (6.3) | 3585 (3.0) | +3.3 (2.6 to 4.1) |
| Medium income (≥ 65 yr) | 1297 (31.1) | 21 159 (17.6) | +13.5 (12.1 to 15.0) |
| High income (≥ 65 yr) | 819 (19.6) | 23 023 (19.1) | +0.5 (0.0 to 1.8) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index | |||
| 0 | 2423 (58.1) | 89 623 (74.4) | −16.3 (−17.8 to −14.8) |
| 1 | 1199 (28.7) | 23 107 (19.2) | +9.6 (8.2 to 11.0) |
| ≥ 2 | 550 (13.2) | 7762 (6.4) | +6.7 (5.7 to 7.8) |
| Claims associated with chronic or acute pain (potential indications for opioid) | |||
| Accident, fracture or surgery | 497 (11.9) | 37 546 (31.2) | −19.3 (−20.2 to −18.2) |
| Diagnosis associated with chronic pain | 1977 (47.4) | 28 886 (24.0) | +23.4 (21.9 to 25.0) |
| Other diagnosis associated with pain | 383 (9.2) | 17 054 (14.2) | −5.0 (−5.8 to −4.0) |
| Inpatient or ED visit for unknown diagnosis | 310 (7.4) | 18 909 (15.7) | −8.3 (−9.1 to −7.4) |
| Unknown potential indication | 1005 (24.1) | 18 097 (15.0) | +9.1 (7.8 to 10.4) |
| Risk factors for opioid use disorder | |||
| Psychiatric disorder | |||
| Mood disorder | 236 (5.7) | 3976 (3.3) | +2.4 (1.7 to 3.1) |
| Schizophrenia | 192 (4.6) | 3116 (2.6) | +2.0 (1.4 to 2.7) |
| Anxiety disorder | 283 (6.8) | 3683 (3.1) | +3.7 (3.0 to 4.5) |
| Other psychiatric disorder | 486 (11.6) | 6127 (5.1) | +6.6 (5.6 to 7.6) |
| Dementia | 292 (7.0) | 2148 (1.8) | +5.2 (4.5 to 6.0) |
| Substance use disorder | 113 (2.7) | 1783 (1.5) | +1.2 (0.7 to 1.8) |
| Psychotropic drug dispensing in 12 mo before index date | |||
| Benzodiazepines | 1958 (46.9) | 27 495 (22.8) | +24.1 (22.6 to 25.7) |
| Antipsychotics | 774 (18.6) | 9426 (7.8) | +10.7 (9.6 to 12.0) |
| Antidepressants | 988 (23.7) | 13 729 (11.4) | +12.3 (11.0 to 13.6) |
| Previous use of pain medications | |||
| NSAIDs | |||
| Short-term (< 90 d) | 943 (22.6) | 25 664 (21.3) | +1.3 (0.0 to 2.6) |
| Long-term (≥ 90 d) | 745 (17.9) | 6835 (5.7) | +12.2 (11.0 to 13.4) |
| Prescribed acetaminophen | |||
| Short-term (< 90 d) | 550 (13.2) | 8968 (7.4) | +5.7 (4.7 to 6.8) |
| Long-term (≥ 90 d) | 983 (23.6) | 7191 (6.0) | +17.6 (16.3 to 18.9) |
| Prescribed acetaminophen–codeine | |||
| Short-term (< 90 d) | 452 (10.8) | 7164 (5.9) | +4.9 (4.0 to 5.9) |
| Long-term (≥ 90 d) | 164 (3.9) | 335 (0.3) | +3.7 (3.1 to 4.3) |
| Gabapentinoid | |||
| Short-term (< 90 d) | 330 (7.9) | 2990 (2.5) | +5.4 (4.6 to 6.3) |
| Long-term (≥ 90 d) | 622 (14.9) | 4219 (3.5) | +11.4 (10.4 to 12.5) |
Note: CI = confidence interval, ED = emergency department, NSAID = nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
↵* Positive difference values indicate that value for patients with long-term use was greater than value for patients with short-term use; negative difference values indicate that value for patients with long-term use was less than value for patients with short-term use.