Tillyer, Emma;
Jani, Yogini;
Wei, Li;
Brauer, Ruth;
(2025)
The prescribing of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain in the menopausal and postmenopausal population: a drug utilisation study in the UK.
BJGP OPEN
, 9
(2)
, Article BJGPO.2024.0169. 10.3399/BJGPO.2024.0169.
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Abstract
Background: Opioid use for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is consistently higher in menopausal and postmenopausal women than in younger women or men, elevating their risk of opioid-related adverse health outcomes. Since pain severity increases with hormonal changes accompanying menopause, these women should be a focus of opioid stewardship efforts. / / Aim: To examine opioid prescribing trends for CNCP in menopausal and postmenopausal women diagnosed with a musculoskeletal condition. / / Design & setting: Population-based drug utilisation study, which was undertaken with data from IQVIA Medical Research Data UK. / / Method: Annual opioid prescribing incidence, prevalence, and average duration of use were calculated for a cohort of women aged 50–79 years with musculoskeletal conditions newly diagnosed between 2010 and 2021. Specific results were stratified by age, pain indication, and Townsend score. / / Results: From 2010–2021, incident prescribing rates of opioids increased in women aged 50–54 years (161.4 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 149.7 to 174.0] per 1000 person–years at risk [PYAR] in 2010 to 239.6 [95% CI = 211.7 to 271.2] per 1000 PYAR in 2021); these women discontinued opioid use faster (<1 year) than older age groups (~2 years). Overall, opioid prescribing prevalence decreased from 23% in 2010 to 14% in 2021, and average opioid use duration decreased from 3 years to 1 year (2010–post-2017) in women aged 50–79 years. / / Conclusion: The overall observed decrease in prevalence and average duration of opioid use is encouraging. Incident prescriptions are rising in women aged 50–54 years and those with fibromyalgia while remaining steady in women aged 55–79 years. Understanding the impact of menopause and post-menopause on opioid use trends is important for effective opioid stewardship.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The prescribing of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain in the menopausal and postmenopausal population: a drug utilisation study in the UK |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3399/BJGPO.2024.0169 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGPO.2024.0169 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © The Author(s), 2025. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | women's health, prescribing, pain, menopause, |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy > Practice and Policy |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10215815 |
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