ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2022
Shifts in substance use patterns among a cohort of people who use opioids after delisting of OxyContin in BC, Canada: An interrupted time series study.
Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Income-Based Disparities in Opioid Prescription Dispensing Among Public Drug Plan Beneficiaries in Canada from 2010 to 2018: A Population-Based and Sex-Stratified Retrospective Study.Drugs - real world outcomes · 2025Article
- Comprehensive substance use services within primary care settings: The Safer Opioid Supply program at London InterCommunity Health Centre.Canadian journal of public health = Revue canadienne de sante publique · 2025Article
- Epidemic characteristics and effectiveness of vaccine intervention on rotavirus infection: a real-world observational study in Zhejiang Province, China.Frontiers in public health · 2025Observational
- Article
- The Impact of Longitudinal Substance Use Patterns on the Risk of Opioid Agonist Therapy Discontinuation: A Repeated Measures Latent Class Analysis.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2024Article
- A rapid review of current engagement strategies with people who use drugs in monitoring and reporting on substance use-related harms.Harm reduction journal · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundOxyContin was delisted from Canadian provincial drug formularies in March 2012 and replaced with a reformulated tamper-resistant form of oxycodone (i.e., OxyNeo). We assessed if delisting of OxyContin was associated with changes in the use of unregulated opioids and other substances among people who use opioids (PWUO).
methodsData were derived from two prospective cohort studies of people who use drugs in Vancouver, BC, Canada from 2006 to 2018. PWUO who had at least one follow-up visit before and after delisting of OxyContin were included. Outcomes of interest were self-reported regular (i.e., at least weekly) use of heroin, non-prescribed prescription opioids, cannabis, methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and powder cocaine during the previous six months. Using quasi-experimental interrupted time series, we fit generalized least squares models to assess participants' immediate and long-term substance use practices after the policy change.
resultsWe analyzed data from 1014 participants who contributed to 17457 visits during the study. Following the delisting of OxyContin, heroin use increased immediately by 5.17% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 0.68 to 9.67) and over time by 0.47% (0.35 to 0.58) per month. Non-prescribed prescription opioid use increased immediately by 1.80% (0.10 to 3.50) and over time by 0.16% (0.12 to 0.19) per month. Cannabis use increased immediately by 4.37% (0.88 to 7.87) and over time by 0.11% (0.02 to 0.19) per month. Methamphetamine use did not increase immediately but increased over time by 0.10% (0.01 to 0.18) per month. Crack cocaine use decreased immediately by 6.13% (-10.94 to -1.69) but not significantly over time. Lastly, powder cocaine use did not increase immediately or over time.
conclusionsDelisting of OxyContin in BC was not associated with a reduction in unregulated opioid use among PWUO. Our findings point to a shift in substance use patterns of PWUO post-intervention and further highlight the unintended consequences of supply-reduction interventions in addressing the opioid epidemic.
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