Prescription of Long-Acting Opioids and Mortality in Patients With Chronic Noncancer Pain.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Long-acting opioids increase the risk of unintentional overdose deaths but also may increase mortality from cardiorespiratory and other causes.

Objective

To compare all-cause mortality for patients with chronic noncancer pain who were prescribed either long-acting opioids or alternative medications for moderate to severe chronic pain.

Design, setting, and participants

Retrospective cohort study between 1999 and 2012 of Tennessee Medicaid patients with chronic noncancer pain and no evidence of palliative or end-of-life care.

Exposures

Propensity score-matched new episodes of prescribed therapy for long-acting opioids or either analgesic anticonvulsants or low-dose cyclic antidepressants (control medications).

Main outcomes and measures

Total an

SUBMITTER: Ray WA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5030814 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature