Concomitant opioid and benzodiazepine use and risk of suicide attempt and intentional self-harm: Pharmacoepidemiologic study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Overdose due to concomitant use of opioids and benzodiazepines has been raised as a major public health concern, although little research has examined whether this risk extends to intentional overdose or other self-harm. This study examined whether prescription opioids and benzodiazepines interact to increase the rate of suicide attempt and intentional self-harm.

Methods

The study analyzed 4,762,438 users of opioids, benzodiazepines, both drugs concomitantly, or neither drug from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters databases (2014-2016). The four groups were matched using inverse probability of treatment weighting and a difference in difference design was used to examine associations with risk of suicide attempt, intentional self-harm and drug overdose

SUBMITTER: Gibbons RD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8595792 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature