Association of Dose Tapering With Overdose or Mental Health Crisis Among Patients Prescribed Long-term Opioids.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Opioid-related mortality and national prescribing guidelines have led to tapering of doses among patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. There is limited information about risks related to tapering, including overdose and mental health crisis.

Objective

To assess whether there are associations between opioid dose tapering and rates of overdose and mental health crisis among patients prescribed stable, long-term, higher-dose opioids.

Design, setting, and participants

Retrospective cohort study using deidentified medical and pharmacy claims and enrollment data from the OptumLabs Data Warehouse from 2008 to 2019. Adults in the US prescribed stable higher doses (mean ≥50 morphine milligram equivalents/d) of opioids for a 12-month baseline

SUBMITTER: Agnoli A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8335575 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature