Tramadol Prescription over a 4-Year Period in the USA

AbstractPurpose of ReviewDeaths associated to tramadol, a synthetic opioid, are rising globally. Herein, we characterize prescription patterns of tramadol relative to other opioids in the USA from 2012 to 2015, by geographic region and physician specialty.Recent FindingsData on opioid was obtained using Truven Health Analytics MarketScan for the years 2012 –2015. Inclusion criteria included subjects living in the USA with ages from 12 to 64 years. Patterns of prescription of tramadol were contrasted with other prescription opioids including hydrocodone, codeine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, methadone, and fentanyl. Between 2012 and 2015, prescriptions f or tramadol increased by 22.8%. The absolute rate of prescription varies considerably per region, with tramadol representing nearly 20% of opioid prescriptions in the South, which, in turn, represents nearly 50% of all prescriptions in the USA. Significant differences were seen when comparing prescr ibers of tramadol with other opioids (p <  0.0001). Tramadol was more frequently prescribed by family practice (40% vs. 32%) and internal medicine physicians (19% vs. 16%). Family medicine, internal medicine, and non-physician prescribers responded by 67.2% of all tramadol prescriptions in 2015. The proportion of patients receiving tramad ol from non-physician prescribers increased by 56% between 2012 and 2015 (p <  0.001) IOM.SummaryTramadol prescriptions rates have continuously increased both nationally and throughout...
Source: Current Pain and Headache Reports - Category: Neurology Source Type: research