Fatal drug overdoses in individuals treated pharmacologically for chronic pain: a nationwide register-based study

Abstract

Introduction Chronic pain patients may be at an increased risk for drug overdoses as a result of comorbid psychiatric disorders and treatment with risk-increasing prescription medications, such as opioids. We aimed to characterise fatal drug overdoses and investigate factors associated with the deaths among individuals who had been treated pharmacologically for chronic pain.

Methods We included all individuals who received analgesics reimbursed for chronic pain in Norway during 2010–9 (n=569 047). Among this population, we identified all individuals with drug overdoses as cause of death (cases). Extracting data from national registries on diagnoses, filled prescriptions, and socioeconomic variables, we used a nested case-control design to compare the cases with age- and sex-matched controls from the study population.

Results Overall, 623 (0.11%) individuals in the study population died of an overdose. Most, 66.8%, had overdosed accidentally, and 61.9% as a result of pharmaceutically available opioids. Compared with the controls (n=62 245), overdoses overall were associated strongly with substance use disorders (adjusted odds ratio 7.78 [95% confidence interval 6.20–9.77]), use of combinations of opioids, benzodiazepines and related drugs and gabapentinoids (4.60 [3.62–5.85]), previous poisoning with pharmaceuticals (2.78 [2.20–3.51]), and with living alone the last year of life (2.11 [1.75–2.54]). Intentional overdoses had a stronger association with previous poisonings with pharmaceuticals whereas accidental overdoses were strongly associated with substance use disorders.

Conclusions This study shows the need for better identification of overdose and suicide risk in individuals treated for chronic pain. Extra caution is needed when treating complex comorbid disorders, especially with overdose risk-increasing medications.