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Australian trends in opioid prescribing for chronic non‐cancer pain, 1986‐1996
Author(s) -
Bell James R
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1997.tb138759.x
Subject(s) - medicine , opioid , cohort , cancer pain , chronic pain , pain ladder , morphine , cohort study , cancer , emergency medicine , family medicine , psychiatry , receptor
Objective To identify trends in the use of opioid drugs for chronic non‐cancer pain. Design Review of three sets of official records — the record of Schedule 8 (S8) opioid drugs used in Australia, 1984‐1995, from the national Department of Health, Housing and Community Services; New South Wales Department of Health statistical summaries of the number of authorities to prescribe S8 drugs for cancer pain and non‐cancer pain for each June from 1990 to 1996; and NSW Department of Health patient records for a cohort of patients first prescribed S8 drugs in 1991. Main outcome measures Total quantities of opioids used in Australia; numbers of S8 authorities issued in NSW. Outcome measures for the cohort study were the proportion of patients remaining on opioids long‐term, the proportion for whom dose escalated over time, and the diagnoses for which opioids were being prescribed. Results Between 1986 and 1995, the amount of oral morphine used in Australia rose from 117 to 578 kg. Use of all other oral S8 opioids combined increased from 93 to 149 kg. Conclusions There has been a dramatic increase in opioid prescribing, a substantial proportion of which is for noncancer pain. In a sample of patients being treated for noncancer pain, long term use and dose escalation occurred in one third of cases.