title: Patterns and trends in long-term opioid use for non-cancer pain in British Columbia, 2005-2012.
abstract: We aimed to calculate trends in incidence and prevalence rates of long-term opioid use for non-cancer pain, as well as to describe the characteristics of long-term opioid users and their patterns of opioid use.
  
  
  
  We used population-based linked health care and socio-demographic administrative data for British Columbia (BC) between 2005 and 2012. We included individuals who had at least one episode of long-term opioid use during the study period and who were not cancer or palliative care patients.
  
  
  
  Long-term users comprised only 10% of all individuals prescribed opioids for non-cancer pain, but accounted for 64% of all opioid prescriptions and 87% of all morphine equivalents dispensed in BC during this period. While the incidence rate did not significantly change, the prevalence rate increased by 27% for men and 22% for women. In 2012, there were 3.80 (3.72-3.88) new long-term opioid users per 1,000 men and 4.42 (4.34-4.51) new users per 1,000 women. At the same time, there were 18.3 (95% CI 18.1-18.5) existing long-term users per 1,000 men and 21.7 users (95% CI 21.5-21.9) per 1,000 women. Overall, 2.4% of BC residents were long-term users of prescription opioids in 2012. Most long-term users had one continuous episode of use spanning multiple years. Almost two thirds took opioids every other day or more frequently.
  
  
  
  There is a growing population of long-term opioid users for non-cancer pain in BC, with higher incidence and prevalence rates observed among women than among men.
authors.affiliation: School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. kate.smolina@ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Smolina
authors.forename: Emilie J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Gladstone
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rutherford
authors.forename: Steven G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001955:British Columbia; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid