Observational evidence linking psychotropic medicines to the dispensing of opioid agents in later life.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The use of opioid medicines is common in developed countries, particularly among older adults and those with mental health disorders. It is unclear if the association between mental disorders and opioid medicines is causal, or is due to reverse causality or confounding.

Methods

We used a 10% random sample of the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (years 2012-2022) to examine the cross-sectional, case-control and longitudinal association between the dispensing of antidepressants, anxiolytics, hypnotics, antipsychotics and lithium, and opioid medicines. We used logistic regression, structural equation models (SEM), and Cox regression to analyze the data. Analyses were adjusted for age (years), sex, and number of non-psychotropic medicines dispensed during the

SUBMITTER: Almeida OP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11578014 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature