Association of Hydrocodone Schedule Change With Opioid Prescriptions Following Surgery.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

In 2014, the US Drug Enforcement Administration moved hydrocodone-containing analgesics from schedule III to the more restrictive schedule II to limit prescribing and decrease nonmedical opioid use. The association of this policy change with postoperative prescribing is not well understood.

Objective

To examine the hypothesis that the amount of opioids prescribed following surgery is associated with the rescheduling of hydrocodone.

Design, setting, and participants

An interrupted time series analysis of outpatient opioid prescriptions was conducted to examine the trends in the amount of postoperative opioids filled before and after the schedule change. Opioid prescriptions filled between January 2012 and October 2015 were analyzed using insurance claims dat

SUBMITTER: Habbouche J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6583681 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature