Dosing profiles of concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use associated with overdose risk among US Medicare beneficiaries: group-based multi-trajectory models.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

One-third of opioid (OPI) overdose deaths involve concurrent benzodiazepine (BZD) use. Little is known about concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine use (OPI-BZD) most associated with overdose risk. We aimed to examine associations between OPI-BZD dose and duration trajectories, and subsequent OPI or BZD overdose in US Medicare.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

US Medicare.

Participants

Using a 5% national Medicare data sample (2013-16) of fee-for-service beneficiaries without cancer initiating OPI prescriptions, we identified 37 879 beneficiaries (age ≥ 65 = 59.3%, female = 71.9%, white = 87.6%, having OPI overdose = 0.3%).

Measurements

During the 6 months following OPI initiation (i.e. trajectory period), we identified OPI-BZ

SUBMITTER: Lo-Ciganic WH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11863753 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature