Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Pain. 2012 Jan 29;13(3):266–275. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2011.11.004

Table 1b.

Persons using chronic opioid therapy for non-cancer pain: sample characteristics by concurrent sedative use. Limited to people taking opioids everyday out of the last 2 weeks.

Variables Concurrent Sedative Use p-value
No Yes
Number of patients 1153 (68.1%) 695 (31.9%) -
Female (%) 58.2 71.1 0.0001
Mean age 56.6 53.8 0.0006
Mean BMI 31.2 30.3 0.12
Some college education (%) 59.8 63.1 0.34
Current Smoker (%) 23.1 28.3 0.08
Risky Drinker per AUDIT-C (%) 14.6 13.4 0.65
Depressed (%) 55.1 72.7 <.0001
Average pain intensity last 3 months (0-10) 58 6.0 0.16
Mean days with pain in prior 6 months 168.5 166.6 0.48
Using opioids for more than one pain condition (%) 60.0 71.4 0.0005
Mean daily opioid dose (mg. MED) prior 3 months 68.1 108.2 <.0001
Daily opioid dose >= 120 mg. MED (%) 13.0 22.2 <.0001
Opioids very/extremely helpful (%) 59.1 59.2 0.99
Predominate use of long-acting opioids in the prior 3 months (%) 31.4 33.1 0.56
SUD Identification
Any SUD Diagnosis from electronic data-drug or alcohol (%) 13.0 23.8 <.0001
    Diagnosis from electronic data—alcohol (%) 6.1 8.1 0.27
    Diagnosis from electronic data—drug (%) 9.9 21.0 <.0001
Self-report drug or alcohol problem (%) 21.2 24.1 0.32
Alcohol Use Disorder per AUDIT-C (%) 2.5 0.9 0.03
Any of the above 28.1 38.1 0.002

Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; AUDIT, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; MED, morphine equivalent dose; SUD, substance use disorder

NOTES: Unweighted N's and weighted percents Risky Drinking does not include AUDIT-C scores of 7 or greater