Investigators examined the factors that may be contributing to the long-term use of opioids in patients with fibromyalgia, according to a press release from the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR). The new findings were presented by Medina et al at the EULAR 2023 Congress and simultaneously published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The investigators noted that although current guidelines allow for the prescription of the weak opioid tramadol for these patients, they also warn against the use of stronger opioids due to the potential harms the agents may cause. In a new retrospective cohort study, the investigators analyzed the data of 28,554 patients with fibromyalgia who were newly prescribed opioids between 2006 and 2021 using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink. They discovered that 26% of the patients became long-term opioid users within 1 year of their initial prescription, which the investigators defined as receiving three opioid prescriptions or more during a period of 90 days. They then identified the factors potentially associated with long-term opioid use—including mean daily morphine milligram equivalents at initiation, a history of suicidal thoughts or actions and self-harm, deprivation, substance use disorder, and obesity. The investigators hope that their findings can help inform clinicians while making prescription decisions and lead to the development of targeted deprescribing interventions.
June 09, 2023