Unsettling trend: The alarming rise of human abuse of veterinary drugs and its consequences.

Veterinary practitioners often prescribe many controlled drugs to animals that may include sedatives, tranquilizers, and painkillers. Unfortunately, many of these drugs are drugs that can be abused by humans, especially among the pet owners. Adequate measures are required to prevent or detect the misuse of veterinary drugs. In this article, the phenomenon of the rising misuse of veterinary medications by humans and their potential health hazards which can accompany the unsettling trends in society has been highlighted. This article aims to shed light on the extent of issues, exploring reasons behind human abuse and its consequences.

Exploring Opioid Prescription Patterns and Overdose Rates in South Carolina (2017-2021): Insights into Rising Deaths in High-Risk Areas.

With opioid overdose rates on the rise, we aimed to develop a county-level risk stratification that specifically focused on access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUDs) and high overdose rates. We examined over 15 million records from the South Carolina Prescription Tracking System (SCRIPTS) across 46 counties. Additionally, we incorporated data from opioid treatment programs, healthcare professionals prescribing naltrexone, clinicians with buprenorphine waivers, and county-level overdose fatality statistics. To assess the risk of opioid misuse, we classified counties into high-risk and low-risk categories based on their prescription rates, overdose fatalities, and treatment service availability. Statistical methods employed included the two-sample t-test and linear regression. The t-test assessed the differences in per capita prescription rates between high-risk and low-risk counties. Linear regression was used to analyze the trends over time. Our study showed that between 2017 and 2021, opioid prescriptions decreased from 64,223 to 41,214 per 100,000 residents, while fentanyl-related overdose deaths increased by 312%. High-risk counties had significantly higher rates of fentanyl prescriptions and relied more on out-of-state doctors. They also exhibited higher instances of doctor shopping and had fewer medical doctors per capita, with limited access to MOUDs. To effectively combat the opioid crisis, we advocate for improved local healthcare infrastructure, broader treatment access, stricter management of out-of-state prescriptions, and vigilant tracking of prescription patterns. Tailored local strategies are essential for mitigating the opioid epidemic in these communities.

Exploring Health Informatics in the Battle against Drug Addiction: Digital Solutions for the Rising Concern.

Drug addiction is a rising concern globally that has deeply attracted the attention of the healthcare sector. The United States is not an exception, and the drug addiction crisis there is even more serious, with 10% of adults having faced substance use disorder, while around 75% of this number has been reported as not having received any treatment. Surprisingly, there are annually over 70,000 deaths reported as being due to drug overdose. Researchers are continually searching for solutions, as the current strategies have been ineffective. Health informatics platforms like electronic health records, telemedicine, and the clinical decision support system have great potential in tracking the healthcare data of patients on an individual basis and provide precise medical support in a private space. Such technologies have been found to be useful in identifying the risk factors of drug addiction among people and mitigating them. Moreover, the platforms can be used to check prescriptions of addictive drugs such as opioids and caution healthcare providers. Programs such as the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) and the Drug and Alcohol Services Information Systems (DASIS) are already in action in the US, but the situation demands more in-depth studies in order to mitigate substance use disorders. Artificial intelligence (AI), when combined with health informatics, can aid in the analysis of large amounts of patient data and aid in classifying nature of addiction to assist in the provision of personalized care.

Effect of integration of prescription drug monitoring program data in the electronic health record on queries by primary care providers.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of PDMP integration in the EHR on provider query rates within twelve primary care clinics in one academic medical center. Methods: Using linked data from the EHR and state PDMP program, we evaluated changes in PDMP query rates using a stepped-wedge observational design where integration was implemented in three waves (four clinics per wave) over a five-month period (May, July, September 2019). Multivariable negative binomial general estimating equations (GEE) models assessed changes in PDMP query rates, overall and across several provider and clinic-level subgroups. Results: Among 206 providers in PDMP integrated clinics, the average number of queries per provider per month increased significantly from 1.43 (95% CI 1.07 - 1.91) pre-integration to 3.94 (95% CI 2.96 - 5.24) post-integration, a 2.74-fold increase (95% CI 2.11 to 3.59; p < .0001). Those in the lowest quartile of PDMP use pre-integration increased 36.8-fold (95% CI 16.91 - 79.95) after integration, significantly more than other pre-integration PDMP use quartiles. Conclusions: Integration of the PDMP in the EHR significantly increased the use of the PDMP overall and across all studied subgroups. PDMP use increased to a greater degree among providers with lower PDMP use pre-integration.

Opioid Use in Pelvic Fractures: The Impact of Opioid Prescribing Laws in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) was established in 2016, but its impact on opioid use for pelvic fractures is understudied. We compared opioid use in 277 pelvic fracture cases between two periods: 2015-2017 (T1) and 2018-2020 (T2). Outcomes included daily inpatient morphine milligram equivalents (MME), long-term opioid use (LOU) 60-90 days post-discharge, and intermediate-term opioid use (IOU) 30-60 days post-discharge. T1 and T2 had comparable baseline characteristics. T2 was associated with a decrease in average daily inpatient MME (58.6 vs 78.5, P = .02), particularly in younger patients. Regression analyses showed age and Injury Severity Score (ISS) were significant predictors for daily inpatient MME, while time period was not. Geriatric patients in T2 had significantly decreased IOU (30% vs 9%, P = .05). Pelvic fracture type and daily MME predicted IOU, while pelvic fracture type predicted LOU. This study suggests a modest impact of these laws, but further study is needed.

Changes in opioid prescribing and prescription drug monitoring program utilization following electronic health record integration-Massachusetts, 2018.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we explored key prescription drug monitoring program-related outcomes among clinicians from a broad cohort of Massachusetts healthcare facilities following prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) and electronic health record (EHR) data integration. METHODS: Outcomes included seven-day rolling averages of opioids prescribed, morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) prescribed, and PDMP queries. We employed a longitudinal study design to analyze PDMP data over a 15-month study period which allowed for six and a half months of pre- and post-integration observations surrounding a two-month integration period. We used longitudinal mixed effects models to examine the effect of EHR integration on each of the key outcomes. RESULTS: Following EHR integration, PDMP queries increased both through the web-based portal and in total (0.037, [95% CI = 0.017, 0.057] and 0.056, [95% CI = 0.035, 0.077]). Both measures of clinician opioid prescribing declined throughout the study period; however, no significant effect following EHR integration was observed. These results were consistent when our analysis was applied to a subset consisting only of continuous PDMP users. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support EHR integration contributing to PDMP utilization by clinicians but do not support changes in opioid prescribing behavior.

Identifying Prescription-Opioid-Related Risks Using Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs' Algorithms and Clinical Screening Tools.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists adopt various approaches to identifying prescription-opioid-related risks and harms, including prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) and clinical screening tools. This study aims to compare 'at-risk' patients according to the published Australian PDMP algorithms with the validated Routine Opioid Outcome Monitoring (ROOM) clinical screening tool. METHODS: Data were used from an implementation study amongst people who had been prescribed regular opioids. We examined the results from ROOM and the patients' dispensing history over the previous 90 days. A chi-squared test was used to examine the association between risk according to (i) a PDMP alert and a clinical risk per ROOM; (ii) a PDMP alert and positive screening for opioid use disorder; and (iii) a PDMP 'high-dose' alert (average of >100 mg OME/day in the past 90 days) and any ROOM-validated risk. RESULTS: No significant associations were found between being 'at-risk' according to any of the PDMP alerts and clinical risk as identified via the ROOM tool (x2 = 0.094, p = 0.759). There was only minimal overlap between those identified as 'at-risk' via PDMP alerts and those meeting the clinical risk indicators; most patients who were 'at-risk' of clinical opioid-related risk factors were not identified as 'at-risk' based on PDMP alerts. CONCLUSIONS: PDMP alerts were not predictive of clinical risk (as per the ROOM tool), as many people with well-established clinical risks would not receive a PDMP alert. Pharmacists should be aware that PDMPs are limited to identifying medication-related risks which are derived using algorithms; therefore, augmenting PDMP information with clinical screening tools can help create a more detailed narrative of patients' opioid-related risks.

A Review of Federal and Statewide Guidelines and Their Effects on Orthopedics.

In the past three decades, the use of opioids has risen tremendously. Pain was named the "fifth patient vital sign" in the 1990s, and from that point, opioid usage has continued to grow throughout the 2010s leading to its recognition as a crisis. The United States is responsible for 80% of the global opioid usage while only accounting for less than 5% of the global population. Previously opioids were mostly used to treat acute pain, however, opioids have been most recently used to manage chronic pain as well. The opioid crisis has presented new challenges in treating pain while preventing the abuse of these medications in a system that lacks standardization of treatment guidelines across the United States. Therefore, the authors of this review examine the current national recommendations to help manage the ongoing opioid crisis and explore how they may impact orthopedic patient care.

Changes in opioid agonist treatment initiation among people prescribed opioids for pain following voluntary and mandatory prescription drug monitoring program implementation: A time series analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) are increasingly used to identify people prescribed high-dose opioids. However, little is known about whether PDMPs impact opioid agonist treatment (OAT) uptake, the gold standard for opioid use disorder. This study examined the impact of PDMP implementation on OAT initiation among people prescribed opioids, in Victoria, Australia. METHODS: De-identified electronic records from all 464 Victorian general practices included in the POLAR database were used. OAT initiation was defined as a new OAT prescription between 1 April 2017 and 31 December 2020, with no OAT prescriptions in the year prior. Interrupted time series analyses were used to compare outcomes before (April 2017 to March 2019) and after (April 2019 to December 2020) PDMP implementation. Binary logistic regression was used to examine differences in patients' characteristics associated with OAT initiation prior to and after PDMP implementation. RESULTS: In total, 1610 people initiated OAT, 946 before and 664 after PDMP implementation. No significant immediate (step) or longer-term (slope) changes in the rates of OAT initiation were identified following PDMP implementation, after adjusting for seasonality. A high opioid dose (>100 mg oral morphine equivalent) in the 6-months prior to OAT initiation was the only significant characteristic associated with reduced odds of OAT initiation post-PDMP implementation (odds ratio 0.29; 0.23-0.37). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: PDMP implementation did not have a significant impact on OAT initiation among people prescribed opioids. Findings suggest additional clinical initiatives that support OAT initiation are required to ensure PDMPs meet their intended target of reducing opioid-related harms.

Tracking changes in opioid prescriptions dispensed following the enactment of a prescription drug monitoring program use mandate.

BACKGROUND: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are state-based surveillance tools used to track controlled substances dispensed to patients and identify patients at-risk of misuse. Starting April 2017, Wisconsin required all prescribers access PDMP to review patient information before issuing a controlled substance prescription order for more than a 3-day supply. A primary goal of PDMP use mandates is to reduce avoidable prescribing and mitigate opioid related mortality and morbidity. Current literature has not evaluated the existence of a time point post-policy implementation, at which the trend in opioid dispensing changes, reflecting normalization/maintenance of opioid prescribing. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the impact of the PDMP use mandate on trends in opioid prescriptions dispensed and test a hypothesis that a change or inflection in opioid prescriptions dispensed occurred post-mandate implementation. METHODS: Interrupted Time Series Analysis (ITSA) design was used to examine whether the level (immediate impact) and trend in opioid prescribing changed significantly after the PDMP use mandate was implemented. We used a novel Change Point Analysis (CPA) approach to test the hypothesis i.e., identify if and when a change or inflection in opioid dispensing trend occurred after implementation of the PDMP use mandate. RESULTS: ITSA model results showed a significant drop in opioid prescriptions dispensed (p < 0.05) immediately after the mandate implementation (i.e., April 2017). Results of the CPA identified a significant inflection in opioid prescriptions dispensed starting January 2019 (21-months post-policy implementation). An ITSA model using the inflection point as an interruption showed that the trend in opioid prescriptions dispensed became flatter after the inflection point, suggesting normalization. CONCLUSION: Using a novel CPA approach, the findings showed an inflection in the trend in opioid prescriptions dispensed post-PDMP use mandate implementation, implying that most of the avoidable prescribing likely was curtailed. The results suggest that the patient information presumably accessed from the WI PDMP interface was useful in helping prescribers to make an informed clinical decision about opioid prescribing.

The Opioid Epidemic: A Review of the Contributing Factors, Negative Consequences, and Best Practices.

The opioid epidemic is a significant public health crisis that has caused extensive harm and devastation in the United States. This literature review aimed to identify the contributing factors and negative consequences of the epidemic, as well as best practices for healthcare providers in managing the epidemic. Overprescribing opiates and opioids, lack of education and opportunity, and being unmarried or divorced were some of the identified contributing factors to dependence on opioids. The epidemic's negative consequences are substantial, leading to increased access to opioids for vulnerable populations, which consequently cause accidental death among men and the degradation of rural community health services. As part of the literature review, we also analyzed the best practices for healthcare providers, including implementing prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs). However, we found that while PDMPs resulted in a decrease in opioid overprescription and an increase in provider confidence when prescribing medication, the evidence for their effectiveness in improving rural community health services or reducing opioid overdoses and opioid-related deaths was inconclusive. Our review highlights that the greatest challenge to overcome is a lack of legal mandates and proper education for healthcare providers on best practices for addressing the epidemic. To regulate and control opioids effectively, tracking and standardizing prescription models by federal agencies and medical institutions is necessary but not enough. Legal action is vital for the successful containment of the opioid crisis.

Health-care practitioner use of prescription drug monitoring programs in clinical practice in Australia: A qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMP) are electronic databases used by prescribers and pharmacists to monitor the use of high-risk prescription medications subject to extramedical use. This study aimed to explore how Australian pharmacists and prescribers are using PDMPs in practice and to gain an understanding of barriers to tool use, as well as practitioner recommendations to increase tool usability and uptake. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with pharmacists and prescribers who use a PDMP (n = 21). The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. RESULTS: The four themes that emerged were: (i) PDMP notifications combined with practitioner clinical judgement guide PDMP usability; (ii) practitioners use PDMPs to facilitate patient and practitioner communication; (iii) workflow systems integration impacts tool usability; and (iv) optimising PDMP information and data access including practitioner-tool engagement to improve tool uptake and usability. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners appreciate the value of PDMP information support for clinical decisions and patient communication. However, they also acknowledge the challenges to tool use and recommend improvements including enhanced workflow, systems integration, optimisation of tool information and national data sharing. Practitioners provide an important perspective on PDMP use in clinical practice. The findings can be drawn on by PDMP administrators to improve tool usefulness. Consequently, this may lead to an increase in practitioner PDMP use and optimise the delivery of quality patient care.

Receipt of Prescription Psychostimulants and Stimulant-Involved Fatal Overdose: A Population-Based Case-Control Study.

Background: Rates of psychostimulant use, misuse, and hospitalization have increased markedly over the past decade. The objective of this study was to estimate the association between receipt of a psychostimulant prescription in the past year and fatal, unintentional psychostimulant-involved overdose. Methods: We conducted a population-based case-control study using linked, state-level databases from the Rhode Island Department of Health. Cases were defined as Rhode Island residents who experienced a fatal, unintentional drug overdose involving a psychostimulant, and controls included non-psychostimulant involved fatal overdoses occurring between May 1, 2017 and May 31, 2020 The primary exposure of interest was receipt of a psychostimulant prescription within 12 months prior to death, ascertained through linkage to the state's prescription drug monitoring program. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios. Results: Of 894 eligible overdose fatalities, the majority were white/non-Hispanic (72%), mean age was 43 years, and most resided in Providence County (69%). A total of 39 (4%) involved a psychostimulant. After adjusting for year of death and matching by sex, age, and county of residence, cases had 4.1 (95% confidence interval: 1.6, 10.6) times the odds of receiving a prescription stimulant in the past year compared to controls. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that there is a strong, positive association between prescription psychostimulant receipt and psychostimulant-involved fatal overdose. In response to an evolving polysubstance use landscape, current harm reductions measures, including naloxone training, fentanyl test strip distribution, and overdose education, should be expanded to include patients who receive psychostimulant prescriptions.

Prescription drug monitoring programs evaluation: A systematic review of reviews.

BACKGROUND: Prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are used to mitigate harms from high-risk medicines including misuse, prescription shopping, overdoses, and death. Previous systematic reviews report inconsistent findings. We undertook a systematic review of reviews to 1) describe and identify the methods and outcome measures used to evaluate PDMPs, 2) summarise existing evidence on outcomes and factors that influence PDMP success or benefit realisation. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and PROSPERO were used to identify systematic reviews on PDMPs. Twelve papers met the inclusion criteria. Data extracted included review aim, study designs, settings, outcome measures, and key findings. Quality was assessed using AMSTAR 2 quality assessment tool. RESULTS: Review papers were categorised as outcome or process evaluation reviews. Process evaluation reviews described implementation processes, barriers and facilitators to PDMP use and/or implementation. Most (57%) papers described barriers which frequently included usability and data integration. Outcome evaluation papers reported impact of PDMPs on outcomes, which were opioid-focused, and findings were highly variable. Most reviews (67%) were rated as low quality, limiting the conclusions that can be drawn. CONCLUSIONS: Inconsistent methods and outcome measures were used to evaluate PDMPs. No economic evaluations of PDMPs were found. Standardising assessment and reporting of results may improve the quality and confidence in an evidence-base to inform future roll-out and evaluation of PDMPs. Targeting barriers such as system-related challenges and negative end-user perceptions could improve sustained uptake of PDMPs, and potentially facilitate benefits realisation, including mitigating harms of high-risk prescription medicines.

Benzodiazepine Dose Intensity among Patients Concurrently Prescribed Buprenorphine in Rhode Island.

Background: The concomitant use of buprenorphine and benzodiazepines has been linked to patient fatalities, with greater risk occurring with higher doses of benzodiazepines. We assessed benzodiazepine dose intensity among patients who were concurrently prescribed buprenorphine, as compared with patients prescribed benzodiazepines who were not receiving buprenorphine. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of adult patients who received at least a 30-day supply of benzodiazepines during 2018, using data from the Rhode Island (RI) Prescription Drug Monitoring Program. Mean daily diazepam milligram equivalents (DME) were calculated overall and according to patient sex, age group, payment type, and RI county. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the odds of higher-dose benzodiazepine utilization among patients with concurrent use of buprenorphine, as compared with patients not prescribed buprenorphine, adjusting for patient demographics. Results: Compared to patients prescribed benzodiazepines who were not receiving buprenorphine, those with concurrent buprenorphine utilization had a significantly higher mean DME/day (19.22, 95% CI: 18.70-19.74; vs 10.94, 95% CI: 10.93-10.95; p < 0.001). Patients who were prescribed benzodiazepines with concurrent utilization of buprenorphine also had a comparatively higher odds of a DME/day ≥15 (aOR: 2.86, 95% CI: 2.63-3.10), ≥20 DME/day (aOR: 2.98, 95% CI: 2.75-3.24), and ≥25 DME/day (aOR: 2.99, 95% CI: 2.65-3.18). Conclusion: Compared to patients prescribed benzodiazepines for at least 30 days who were not receiving buprenorphine, patients concurrently utilizing benzodiazepines and buprenorphine had more than twice the odds of higher dose benzodiazepine utilization. Future studies are needed to assess the relationship between benzodiazepine dose intensity, overdose outcomes, and treatment retention among patients receiving buprenorphine.

Changes in opioid and other analgesic prescribing following voluntary and mandatory prescription drug monitoring program implementation: A time series analysis of early outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Australian prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) provide information about a patient's recent medication history for controlled drugs at the point of prescribing and dispensing. Despite their increasing use, the evidence for PDMPs is mixed, and is almost exclusively from the United States. This study examined the impact of PDMP implementation on opioid prescribing among general practitioners in Victoria, Australia. METHOD: We examined data on analgesic prescribing using electronic records of 464 medical practices in the Australian state of Victoria between 01/04/2017 and 31/12/ 2020. We used interrupted time series analyses, to examine immediate and longer-term trends in medication prescribing following voluntary (from April 2019) and mandatory PDMP implementation (from April 2020). We examined changes in three outcomes (i) 'high' opioid dose (50-100mg oral morphine equivalent daily dose (OMEDD) and over 100mg (OMEDD) prescribing (ii) prescribing of high-risk medication combinations (opioids with either benzodiazepines or pregabalin), and (iii) initiation of non-controlled pain medications (tricyclic antidepressants, pregabalin and tramadol). RESULTS: We found no effect of voluntary or mandatory PDMP implementation on 'high-dose' opioid prescribing with reductions only seen in those prescribed <20mg OMEDD (i.e., the lowest dose category). Co-prescribing of opioids with benzodiazepines (additional 11.87 [95%CI 2.04 to 21.67] patients/10,000 and pregabalin (additional 3.54 [95% CI 0.82 to 6.26] patients/10,000 increased following mandatory PDMP implementation among those prescribed opioids. In contrast to trends of reduced initiation prior to PDMP implementation, we found increased new initiation of non-monitored medications following PDMP implementation (e.g., an immediate increase of 2.32 [95%CI 0.02 to 4.54], patients/10,000 received pregabalin and 3.06 [95%CI 0.54 to 5.5] patients/10,000 received tricyclic antidepressants after mandatory PDMP implementation), and increased tramadol initiation during the voluntary PDMP period (an increase of 11.26 [95%CI: 5.84, 16.67] patients /10,000). CONCLUSION: PDMP implementation did not appear to reduce prescribing of high opioid doses or high-risk combinations. Increased initiation of tricyclic antidepressants, pregabalin and tramadol may indicate a possible unintended effect.

Associations of clinical personnel characteristics and controlled substance prescribing practices.

CONTEXT: Over 68,000 deaths were attributed to opioid-related overdose in 2020. Evaluative studies have shown that states that utilized Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) systems have decreased opioid-related deaths. With the growing use of PDMPs and an ongoing opioid epidemic, determining the demographics of physicians at risk of overprescribing can elucidate prescribing practices and inform recommendations to change prescribing behaviors. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess prescribing behaviors by physicians in 2021 based on four demographics utilizing the National Electronic Health Record System (NEHRS): physician's age, sex, specialty, and degree (MD or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine [DO]). METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study of the 2021 NEHRS to determine the relationship between physician characteristics and PDMP use on opioid-prescribing behaviors. Differences between groups were measured via design-based chi-square tests. We constructed multivariable logistic regression models to assess the relationships, via adjusted odds ratios (AOR), between physician characteristics and alternate prescribing patterns. RESULTS: Compared to female physicians, male physicians were more likely to alter their original prescription to reduce morphine milligram equivalents (MMWs) prescribed for a patient (AOR: 1.60; CI: 1.06-2.39; p=0.02), to change to a nonopioid/nonpharmacologic option (AOR: 1.91; 95 % CI: 1.28-2.86; p=0.002), to prescribe naloxone (AOR=2.06; p=0.039), or to refer for additional treatment (AOR=2.07; CI: 1.36-3.16; p<0.001). Compared to younger physicians, those over the age of 50 were less likely to change their prescription to a nonopioid/nonpharmacologic option (AOR=0.63; CI: 0.44-0.90; p=0.01) or prescribe naloxone (AOR=0.56, CI: 0.33-0.92; p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed a statistically significant difference between specialty category and frequency of prescribing controlled substances. After checking the PDMP, male physicians were more likely to alter their original prescription to include harm-reduction strategies. Optimizing the use of PDMP systems may serve to improve prescribing among US physicians.

Buprenorphine and opioid analgesics: Dispensation and discontinuity among accidental overdose fatalities in the Indianapolis metropolitan area, 2016-2021.

BACKGROUND: This study describes overall trends and sociodemographic disparities in buprenorphine and opioid analgesic uptake and prescribing patterns prior to fatal overdose events. METHODS: We examined toxicology data from all accidental overdose deaths from 2016 to 2021 (N = 2682) in a large metropolitan area. These data were linked at the individual-level with a prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP). RESULTS: Fewer than half of all deaths had any kind of PDMP record (39.9 %, n = 1070). Among those with a buprenorphine prescription, 10.6 % (n = 35) of decedents had a buprenorphine dispensation within 7 days of their death, while the majority (64.7 %, n = 214) were dispensed buprenorphine more than 30 days prior to death. Evidence existed of racial disparities among those with any buprenorphine uptake, whereby Black individuals (7.3 %, n = 24) had significantly fewer any dispensations compared to White individuals (92.7 %, n = 307). Among those with an opioid analgesic prescription, about 12.2 % (n = 90) were dispensed within 7 days of death, with the majority (68.5 %, n = 506) occurring more than 30 days prior to death. Like buprenorphine dispensations, Black individuals were prescribed a significantly smaller proportion of opioid analgesics (21.9 %, n = 162) versus White individuals (77.7 %, n = 574). Buprenorphine was detected in 78.5 % of deaths where fentanyl was present in the toxicology record, significantly greater when compared to opioid analgesics (57.5 %). CONCLUSION: Consistent with prior research, our findings suggest prescription opioid analgesics may protect against fatal overdoses. Access to buprenorphine treatment did not keep pace with the rising lethality of the overdose crisis, and in recent years, a smaller percentage of the people at risk of fatal overdose availed themselves of MOUD preceding their death.

Association of prescription drug monitoring programs with benzodiazepine prescription dispensation and overdose in adolescents and young adults.

INTRODUCTION: Prescription drug monitoring programs are state-run databases designed to support safe prescribing of controlled substances and reduce prescription drug misuse. We analyzed healthcare claims data to determine the association between prescription drug monitoring programs with mandated provider review and adolescent and young adult benzodiazepine prescription dispensing and overdose. METHODS: We performed a state-level retrospective cohort study to evaluate the association between implementation of prescription drug monitoring programs with mandated provider review and benzodiazepine prescription dispensing and benzodiazepine-related overdoses among adolescents (13-18 years) and young adults (19-25 years) between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2019. Data were obtained from a United States commercial health insurance company. RESULTS: There were 74,539 (1.8%) adolescents and 246,760 (4.0%) young adults with at least one benzodiazepine prescription dispensed. Benzodiazepine overdoses occurred among 1,569 (0.04%) and 3,202 (0.05%) adolescents and young adults, respectively. Implementation of a prescription drug monitoring program with mandated provider review was associated with a 6.8% (95% CI, 1.6-11.8) yearly reduction in benzodiazepine prescription dispensing among adolescents and a 12.5% (95% CI, 9.3-15.5) yearly reduction among young adults. There was no decrease in benzodiazepine overdoses in either age group (-15.4% [95% CI, -21.5 to 3.0] and -8.0% [95% CI, -18.0 to 3.2] yearly change in adolescents and young adults, respectively). DISCUSSION: Consistent with prior work, our study did not find an association between prescription drug monitoring program implementation and reduction in benzodiazepine-related overdoses among adolescents and young adults. However, the substantial reduction in benzodiazepine prescription dispensing is encouraging. CONCLUSION: Prescription drug monitoring programs were associated with decreases in benzodiazepine prescription dispensing, but not benzodiazepine-related overdoses in this cohort of adolescents and young adults. These findings serve to inform development of further policies to address rising rates of benzodiazepine misuse and overdose in this patient population.

Dispensed Opioid, Buprenorphine, Benzodiazepine, and Stimulant Prescriptions among Rhode Island Residents, 2017-2021.

The Rhode Island Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) requires dispensers with an active Controlled Substance Registration to report Schedule II-V substances and opioid antagonists within 24 hours of dispensing. This database was designed to surveille diversion and identify high-risk prescribing to prevent drug related harms. Using PDMP data from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021, opioid, buprenorphine, stimulant, and benzodiazepine dispensing trends were explored. During this time, opioid prescriptions dispensed annually decreased by 27.3% (from 576,421 to 419,220), and benzodiazepine prescriptions dispensed annually decreased by 12.3% (552,430 to 484,496). High-risk prescribing also decreased with opioids prescriptions > 90 daily MME decreasing by 52.1% and instances of overlapping benzodiazepine and opioid prescriptions decreasing by 34.1%. Buprenorphine and stimulant dispensing have increased by 11.1% and 20.7%, respectively. Prevention interventions will continue to educate providers on appropriate prescribing practices and work to further reduce unnecessary prescribing within the state.