Table 5.
Medication prescribed for adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder, rotator cuff syndrome and shoulder impingement syndrome as assessed at the fourth ATC level
| ATC code | Total | Inpatient | Outpatient | ||||||||||||||||
| ACS | RCS | SIS | ACS | RCS | SIS | ACS | RCS | SIS | |||||||||||
| n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | ||
| Non-narcotics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Acetic acid derivatives and related substances | M01AB | 4515 | 43.22 | 4053 | 41.83 | 2751 | 37.54 | 299 | 64.44 | 1027 | 71.72 | 465 | 66.91 | 4353 | 42.11 | 3481 | 37.08 | 2602 | 36.47 |
| Other opioids* | N02AX | 2881 | 27.58 | 2273 | 23.46 | 1585 | 21.63 | 145 | 31.25 | 637 | 44.48 | 262 | 37.70 | 2768 | 26.78 | 1820 | 19.39 | 1434 | 20.10 |
| Propionic acid derivatives | M01AE | 2336 | 22.36 | 1800 | 18.58 | 1316 | 17.96 | 62 | 13.36 | 235 | 16.41 | 149 | 21.44 | 2294 | 22.19 | 1646 | 17.53 | 1218 | 17.07 |
| Other anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic agents, non-steroids | M01AX | 1708 | 16.35 | 1291 | 13.32 | 961 | 13.11 | 63 | 13.58 | 204 | 14.25 | 87 | 12.52 | 1665 | 16.11 | 1143 | 12.18 | 907 | 12.71 |
| Oxicams | M01AC | 1032 | 9.88 | 980 | 10.11 | 676 | 9.22 | 73 | 15.73 | 181 | 12.64 | 78 | 11.22 | 978 | 9.46 | 871 | 9.28 | 634 | 8.89 |
| Anilides | N02BE | 780 | 7.47 | 893 | 9.22 | 428 | 5.84 | 50 | 10.78 | 297 | 20.74 | 92 | 13.24 | 738 | 7.14 | 624 | 6.65 | 348 | 4.88 |
| Other general anaesthetics | N01AX | 104 | 1.00 | 607 | 6.26 | 221 | 3.02 | 99 | 21.34 | 607 | 42.39 | 220 | 31.65 | 5 | 0.05 | – | – | 1 | 0.01 |
| Other centrally acting agents | M03BX | 369 | 3.53 | 273 | 2.82 | 209 | 2.85 | 4 | 0.86 | 15 | 1.05 | 12 | 1.73 | 367 | 3.55 | 259 | 2.76 | 197 | 2.76 |
| Cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors | M01AH | 172 | 1.65 | 464 | 4.79 | 168 | 2.29 | 7 | 1.51 | 110 | 7.68 | 8 | 1.15 | 168 | 1.63 | 401 | 4.27 | 164 | 2.30 |
| Fenamates | M01AG | 30 | 0.29 | 25 | 0.26 | 9 | 0.12 | 1 | 0.22 | 8 | 0.56 | 3 | 0.43 | 29 | 0.28 | 17 | 0.18 | 7 | 0.10 |
| Morphinan derivatives | N02AF | 2 | 0.02 | 18 | 0.19 | 14 | 0.19 | 1 | 0.22 | 18 | 1.26 | 14 | 2.01 | 1 | 0.01 | – | – | – | – |
| Barbiturates, plain | N01AF | – | – | 30 | 0.31 | 1 | 0.01 | – | – | 30 | 2.09 | 1 | 0.14 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Other nervous system drugs | N07XX | 4 | 0.04 | 9 | 0.09 | 8 | 0.11 | 3 | 0.65 | 9 | 0.63 | 3 | 0.43 | 1 | 0.01 | – | – | 5 | 0.07 |
| Glucocorticoids | H02AB | 5 | 0.05 | 5 | 0.05 | 4 | 0.05 | 1 | 0.22 | – | – | 1 | 0.14 | 4 | 0.04 | 5 | 0.05 | 3 | 0.04 |
| Salicylic acid and derivatives | N02BA | 2 | 0.02 | 7 | 0.07 | 2 | 0.03 | – | – | 4 | 0.28 | 2 | 0.29 | 2 | 0.02 | 3 | 0.03 | – | – |
| Narcotics | |||||||||||||||||||
| Opioid anaesthetics | N01AH | 72 | 0.69 | 614 | 6.34 | 147 | 2.01 | 72 | 15.52 | 612 | 42.74 | 147 | 21.15 | – | – | 2 | 0.02 | – | – |
| Phenylpiperidine derivatives | N02AB | 43 | 0.41 | 299 | 3.09 | 67 | 0.91 | 37 | 7.97 | 299 | 20.88 | 67 | 9.64 | 7 | 0.07 | – | – | – | – |
| Natural opium alkaloids | N02AA | 66 | 0.63 | 231 | 2.38 | 63 | 0.86 | 34 | 7.33 | 191 | 13.34 | 37 | 5.32 | 35 | 0.34 | 57 | 0.61 | 29 | 0.41 |
| Opium alkaloids and derivatives | R05DA | 2 | 0.02 | 8 | 0.08 | 5 | 0.07 | – | – | 5 | 0.35 | 4 | 0.58 | 2 | 0.02 | 7 | 0.07 | 1 | 0.01 |
*Although labelled ‘other opioids’, fourth ATC level other opioids include both narcotics and non-narcotics. No drugs other than tramadol were prescribed.
ACS, adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder; ATC, anatomical therapeutic chemical; RCS, rotator cuff syndrome; SIS, shoulder impingement syndrome.