Associations between prescribed benzodiazepines, overdose death and buprenorphine discontinuation among people receiving buprenorphine.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Benzodiazepines are commonly prescribed to patients with opioid use disorder receiving buprenorphine treatment, yet may increase overdose risk. However, prescribed benzodiazepines may improve retention in care by reducing buprenorphine discontinuation and thus may prevent relapse to illicit opioid use. We aimed to test the association between benzodiazepine prescription and fatal opioid overdose, non-fatal opioid overdose, all-cause mortality and buprenorphine discontinuation.

Design and setting

This was a retrospective cohort study using five individually linked data sets from Massachusetts, United States government agencies.

Participants

We studied 63 389 Massachusetts residents aged 18 years or older who received buprenorphine treatment between

SUBMITTER: Park TW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7156323 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature