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Opioid use declines among patients with RA since 2010
Since 2010, opioid use has declined among patients with rheumatoid arthritis, according to published analysis.
“National trends suggest that opioid prescribing plateaued in 2010-2011 and declined since then,” Jeffrey Curtis, MD, MS, MPH, from the division of clinical immunology and rheumatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues wrote. “Nevertheless, continuing concerns regarding opioid prescribing have spurred major initiatives across multiple federal agencies.”
Researchers identified 70,929 patients diagnosed with RA between 2006 and 2014 from Medicare data. The most common opioids were hydrocodone and propoxyphene. Receipt of opioids increased slowly, peaked in 2010, then decreased after propoxyphene was withdrawn. They also found opioid use was linked to younger age, female gender, black ethnicity, back pain, fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression. In addition, they found 40% of patients who were prescribed opioids used them regularly. Nearly half had at least one prescription written by a rheumatologist and 14% were coprescribed opioids, the researchers wrote. – by Will A. Offit
Disclosure: Curtis reports no relevant financial disclosures.