ArticleBMJ open2021
Trends in prescribing pattern of opioid and benzodiazepine substitutes among Medicare part D beneficiaries from 2013 to 2018: a retrospective study.
Article in BMJ open, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effectiveness of the Safety Communication for Concurrent Benzodiazepine-Opioid Therapy: A Retrospective Real-World Analysis.Drugs - real world outcomes · 2026Article
- The impact of opioid prescribing guidelines on opioid dispensation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Canadian journal of pain = Revue canadienne de la douleur · 2026Review
- Regional and Temporal Variation in Receipt of Gabapentinoid and SSRI/SNRI Therapy Among Older Cancer Survivors in the United States.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Pattern and Associated Factors of Benzodiazepine Discontinuation Among Older Adults Following Hospitalization.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025Article
- Association Between Gabapentinoid Use and Changes in Claims-Based Frailty Among Long-Term Opioid Users.Drugs & aging · 2025Article
- A Hidden Pandemic? Abuse of Gabapentinoids: A Brief Review of Recent Studies.Current drug research reviews · 2025Review
- Patterns of gabapentinoid use among long-term opioid users.Preventive medicine · 2024Article
- Patterns of Care for Medicare Beneficiaries With Metastatic Prostate Cancer.Urology practice · 2024Article
- Trends in co-prescribed opioids and benzodiazepines, non-prescribed opioids and benzodiazepines, and schedule-I drugs in the United States, 2013 to 2019.Preventive medicine reports · 2024Article
- Signal detection of adverse events associated with gabapentinoid use for chronic pain.Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety · 2024Article
- Trends in overdose deaths involving gabapentinoids and Z-drugs in the United States.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2023Article
- Co-prescribing of Central Nervous System-Active Medications for COPD Patients: Impact on Emergency Room Visits and Hospitalization.The Annals of pharmacotherapy · 2023Article
- Impact of persistent pain on function, cognition, and well-being of older adults.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2023Article
- Trends in the Use of Opioids vs Nonpharmacologic Treatments in Adults With Pain, 2011-2019.JAMA network open · 2022Article
- Incident Functional Limitations Among Community-Dwelling Adults Using Opioids: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using a Propensity Analysis with the Health and Retirement Study.Drugs & aging · 2022Article
- Trends in Characteristics of Prescription Opioid-related Poisonings among Older Adults in the United States, 2015-2021.Journal of addiction medicineArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveOpioid and benzodiazepine co-prescribing is associated with a substantial increase in opioid overdose deaths. In this study, we examine the prescribing trends of substitutes of opioids and benzodiazepines alone or in combination, compared with opioids and benzodiazepines.
designRetrospective cohort study.
settingData were collected using a 20% national sample of Medicare beneficiaries from 2013 to 2018.
participants4.1-4.3 million enrollees each year from 2013 to 2018.
interventionNone. PRIMARY OUTCOME: We employ a generalised linear mixed models to calculate ORs for opioid use, benzodiazepine or Z-drug (benzos/Z-drugs) use, opioid/benzos/Z-drugs 30-day use, gabapentinoid use and (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)) use, adjusted for the repeated measure of patient. We then created two models to calculate the ORs for each year and comparing to 2013.
resultsOpioid and benzos/Z-drugs use decreased by 2018 (aOR 0.626; 95% CI 0.622 to 0.630) comparing to 2013. We demonstrate a 36.3% and 9.9% increase rate of gabapentinoid and SSRI/SNRI use, respectively. Furthermore, combined gabapentinoid and SSRI/SNRI use increased in 2018 (aOR 1.422; 95% CI 1.412 to 1.431).
conclusionLittle is known about the prescribing pattern and trend of opioid and benzodiazepine alternatives as analgesics. There is a modest shift from prescribing opioid and benzos/Z-drugs (alone or in combination) towards prescribing non-opioid analgesics-gabapentinoids with and without non-benzos/Z-drugs that are indicated for anxiety. It is unclear if this trend towards opioid/benzos/Z-drugs alternatives is associated with fewer drug overdose death, better control of pain and comorbid anxiety, and improved quality of life.
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