Table 5.
Pain medication use by selected pain condition cohorts
| Patients taking ≥ 1 pharmacotherapy (%) | Unique drugs, % (Mean, SD) | Length of therapy (median days) | Analgesics/antipyretics, NECa | Anticonvulsants/Antiepileptics | SNRIb | SSRIc | TCAsd | Other antidepressants | Total antidepressants | Anxiolytics/sedatives/hypnotics NEC | Benzodiazepines | COX-2e inhibitors | Muscle Relaxants | NSAIDsf | Strong opioids | Total weak opioids | Total opioid use (weak and strong) | Triptans | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetic neuropathy (n = 37,133) | 74.00 | 3.13 (2.33) | 297.00 | 1.08 | 25.21 | 8.13 | 18.40 | 10.55 | 7.10 | 34.26* | 12.68 | 18.62 | 4.11 | 10.53 | 24.29 | 37.60 | 18.55 | 46.30 | 0.06 |
| Postherpetic neuropathy (n = 3551) | 84.15 | 3.33 (2.37) | 245.50 | 1.04 | 51.25* | 8.65 | 15.46 | 15.91 | 5.32 | 36.19 | 15.49 | 20.61 | 4.90 | 9.55 | 20.05 | 46.66 | 20.36 | 55.53 | 0.34 |
| Trigeminal neuralgia (n = 3869) | 87.59 | 3 (2) | 300.00 | 2.04 | 61.00* | 8.12 | 16.85 | 10.75 | 6.36 | 33.37 | 13.62 | 23.47 | 3.75 | 12.72 | 24.86 | 43.24 | 18.04 | 50.87 | 0.65 |
| HIV-associated pain (n = 371) | 86.79 | 5.08 (3.26) | 376.00 | 5.39 | 21.29 | 9.70 | 28.57 | 20.49 | 20.49 | 50.13 | 28.84 | 29.38 | 2.96 | 20.75 | 51.48 | 66.31* | 23.99 | 69.54 | 0.81 |
| Multiple sclerosis-associated pain (n = 647) | 86.71 | 4.73 (3.31) | 480.00 | 3.09 | 37.25 | 19.01 | 32.77 | 16.54 | 15.92 | 57.50* | 23.49 | 37.56 | 3.71 | 31.07 | 29.52 | 49.30 | 26.28 | 58.89 | 1.85 |
| Stroke-associated pain (n = 3087) | 81.18 | 3.48 (2.55) | 270.00 | 4.18 | 18.37 | 8.71 | 26.89 | 9.62 | 7.97 | 41.04* | 17.30 | 28.02 | 5.96 | 15.81 | 24.81 | 42.92* | 25.53 | 54.84 | 0.65 |
| Lumbar radiculopathy (n = 56,358) | 79.22 | 3.76 (2.76) | 240.00 | 1.64 | 18.86 | 7.79 | 17.69 | 7.59 | 7.95 | 31.14 | 14.95 | 23.99 | 6.94 | 27.53 | 34.67 | 50.12* | 22.61 | 58.51 | 0.38 |
| Complex regional pain syndrome (n = 1808) | 90.65 | 5.00 (2.98) | 632.00 | 2.38 | 48.56 | 20.24 | 25.72 | 21.57 | 16.65 | 56.86 | 23.34 | 35.90 | 6.03 | 26.16 | 30.97 | 69.58* | 23.51 | 76.38 | 0.55 |
| Spinal cord injury (n = 331) | 86.71 | 4.14 (2.80) | 215.00 | 0.91 | 23.26 | 12.39 | 19.34 | 7.55 | 11.48 | 35.95 | 18.43 | 28.40 | 3.93 | 32.02 | 36.86 | 64.35* | 23.87 | 71.00 | 0.30 |
| Surgically induced pain (n = 1478) | 90.26 | 2.99 (2.23) | 41.00 | 1.89 | 5.48 | 4.74 | 15.63 | 3.52 | 5.21 | 23.00 | 15.70 | 16.31 | 5.07 | 10.15 | 32.81 | 79.57* | 20.91 | 84.44 | 0.14 |
| Phantom limb (n = 205) | 92.20 | 5.05 (3.17) | 720.00 | 0.49 | 60.49 | 19.51 | 19.02 | 23.41 | 11.71 | 51.22 | 25.37 | 33.17 | 2.44 | 20.49 | 28.29 | 80.00* | 20.00 | 82.93 | – |
| Cervical radiculopathy (n = 40,844) | 74.94 | 3.48 (2.57) | 157.00 | 2.00 | 13.45 | 6.67 | 17.14 | 6.04 | 7.79 | 29.09 | 13.88 | 21.47 | 5.32 | 26.77 | 33.77 | 43.35* | 18.24 | 50.51 | 0.56 |
| Fibromyalgia (n = 75,570) | 77.28 | 3.81 (2.83) | 273.00 | 2.46 | 13.33 | 12.29 | 21.71 | 10.40 | 11.52 | 39.71* | 17.81 | 24.87 | 5.38 | 27.95 | 34.34 | 40.03 | 21.33 | 49.52 | 0.64 |
| Osteoarthritis (n = 365,086) | 79.91 | 3.19 (2.30) | 226.00 | 1.35 | 9.47 | 5.68 | 17.16 | 5.92 | 6.65 | 27.89 | 14.11 | 20.19 | 10.21 | 15.49 | 38.10 | 45.23* | 23.70 | 55.48 | 0.26 |
| Low back pain (n = 424,410) | 79.32 | 3.54 (2.57) | 150.00 | 1.77 | 10.67 | 6.43 | 17.52 | 6.11 | 7.65 | 28.78 | 13.44 | 21.89 | 5.31 | 33.11 | 38.09 | 47.24* | 21.50 | 55.84 | 0.36 |
| Migraine (n = 92,943) | 80.09 | 3.71 (2.91) | 229 | 9.77 | 22.28 | 9.86 | 23.22 | 14.01 | 10.76 | 42.33* | 16.43 | 23.77 | 2.57 | 19.87 | 31.55 | 41.93 | 17.35 | 48.28 | 6.33 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis (n = 40,362) | 79.73 | 2.98 (2.22) | 410 | 1.34 | 8.54 | 5.79 | 16.72 | 6.58 | 6.53 | 28.16 | 13.54 | 17.50 | 11.54 | 13.94 | 40.24* | 38.05 | 22.95 | 49.71 | 0.33 |
| Ankylosing spondylitis (n = 10,050) | 78.44 | 3.51 (2.58) | 267.00 | 1.60 | 10.92 | 7.70 | 18.09 | 6.72 | 8.32 | 30.84 | 15.01 | 21.82 | 7.99 | 25.17 | 39.84 | 42.77* | 21.85 | 52.35 | 0.50 |
| Psoriatic arthropathy (n = 4795) | 75.60 | 2.76 (2.06) | 287.00 | 0.92 | 6.19 | 5.86 | 16.96 | 5.15 | 7.74 | 27.90 | 12.49 | 15.45 | 9.47 | 12.05 | 40.77* | 32.30 | 16.89 | 41.42 | 0.17 |
| Cancer pain (n = 28) | 78.57 | 5.36 (2.75) | 399.5 | 7.14 | 28.57 | 7.14 | 28.57 | 17.86 | 21.43 | 46.43 | 21.43 | 28.57 | 3.57 | 14.29 | 14.29 | 67.86* | 25.00 | 71.43 | 3.57 |
| Irritable bowel syndrome (n = 40,025) | 70.46 | 2.98 (2.30) | 188.00 | 2.30 | 6.27 | 7.33 | 22.85 | 9.47 | 9.14 | 37.32* | 14.86 | 25.04 | 3.22 | 12.65 | 22.48 | 30.30 | 14.27 | 37.34 | 0.50 |
| Painful bladder syndrome (n = 2870) | 76.10 | 3.17 (2.40) | 95.00 | 2.40 | 6.17 | 6.76 | 20.52 | 8.68 | 8.57 | 34.60 | 16.24 | 21.57 | 2.47 | 12.16 | 32.54 | 44.15* | 18.40 | 51.43 | 0.73 |
| Interstitial cystitis (n = 5662) | 80.36 | 3.59 (2.70) | 270.00 | 2.17 | 11.20 | 8.85 | 20.24 | 21.25 | 9.64 | 44.68* | 28.12 | 27.18 | 4.24 | 15.61 | 26.09 | 43.24 | 22.18 | 51.94 | 0.67 |
*
Note: Most common therapy prescribed as first-line for cohort.
Abbreviations: A, not elsewhere classified; B, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors; C, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; D, tricyclic antidepressants; E, cyclo-oxygenase; F, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; SD, standard deviation.