Correlations between opioid mortality increases related to illicit/synthetic opioids and reductions of medical opioid dispensing - exploratory analyses from Canada

Rethinking Mental Automatism: De Clérambault's Theory in the Age of Novel Psychoactive Drugs: Psychotropic Effects and Synthetic Psychosis

The widespread use of novel psychoactive substances (NPSs)-defined as new narcotic or psychotropic agents not classified under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 or the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971-poses a significant challenge to contemporary mental health paradigms due to their impact on psychiatric disorders. This study revisits and expands upon the theory of mental automatism as proposed by Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault, aiming to elucidate the psychopathological mechanisms underlying substance-induced psychoses (SIP) and their distinction from non-induced psychoses (schizophrenia and related disorders). Through a phenomenological and clinical investigation, we explore the relevance of mental automatism in the development of toxic psychoses, drawing upon the historical and contemporary literature. This research highlights the psychopathological distinctions between induced and non-induced psychoses and the transition mechanisms from acute to chronic psychosis states. De Clérambault's theory, supplemented by Janet, Jackson, and Bonhoeffer's contributions, provides a foundational framework for understanding the genesis of SIP. Our findings suggest that NPS consumption, particularly among adolescents and psychiatric patients, significantly correlates with increased risks of SIP, marked by a transition to chronicity influenced by biological lesions triggered by substance use. Furthermore, we propose a comprehensive framework for SIP, integrating mental automatism, psychopathological distinctions, and transition mechanisms. This framework aims to refine diagnostic criteria and therapeutic approaches, addressing gaps in clinical practice and research. The study underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of SIP, advocating for a paradigm shift in psychiatric assessment and treatment approaches to better address the complexities of substance-induced mental health disorders.

"I'm just searching to get better": Constructions of treatment citizenship on injectable opioid agonist treatment

BACKGROUND

As part of the response to Canada's worsening overdose crisis driven by a toxic, adulterated drug supply, there has been increased attention to and expansion of drug treatment, options, including injectable opioid agonist treatment (iOAT). iOAT typically involves the, witnessed daily injection of opioids under healthcare provider supervision. There is a robust, evidence base on iOAT; however, there has been less focus on how people engage with this; treatment outside of clinical trials. This paper examines how people engage with iOAT programs, in expanded treatment settings in Canada, focusing on how the broader socio-structural context, shapes patient subjectivities in treatment.

METHODS

This study draws on critical ethnographic and community-based research approaches, conducted with people accessing four iOAT programs in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside; neighbourhood from May 2018 to November 2019. Data included in-depth baseline and followup, interviews and approximately 50 h of observation fieldwork conducted in one iOAT, program and with a subsample of participants in the surrounding neighbourhood. Analysis, leveraged the concepts of biological citizenship and structural vulnerability.

RESULTS

This analysis characterized three narrative frames-regular long-term engagers, pain, patients, and sporadic and short-term engagers-through in-depth case presentations of participants with distinct types of engagement with iOAT programs. Participants within these, narrative frames described a dominant form of iOAT citizenship, an autonomous patient who, regularly engages in treatment and avoids pleasure. However, structural vulnerabilities, including, homelessness and housing instability, entrenched poverty, criminal-legal system engagement, and unmanaged pain, shaped the ability of participants to make claims to this normative model of citizenship.

CONCLUSION

This study examined how structural vulnerabilities impact people's construction and ability to make iOAT citizenship claims. Findings point to the need for changes within and outside of iOAT programs, such as lower threshold treatment models, improved social services (e.g., secure housing), and pain management support.

"And this is the life jacket, the lifeline they've been wanting": Participant perspectives on navigating challenges and successes of prescribed safer supply

BACKGROUND

In 2021, 43% of drug toxicity deaths in Ontario were reported by public health units serving medium-sized urban and rural communities. Safer supply programs (SSPs) have been primarily established in large urban centres. Given this, the current study is based on an evaluation of a SSP based in a medium-sized urban centre with a large catchment area that includes rural and Indigenous communities. The aim of this research paper is to understand the challenges and successes of the nurse practitioner-led SSP from the perspective of program participants.

METHODS

Interpretive description was used to understand the experiences of 14 participants accessing a SSP. Each participant was interviewed using a semi-structured approach, and 13 of the interviewees also completed surveys accessed through Qualtrics. An iterative process using NVivo software was used to code interviews, and a constant comparative data analysis approach was used to refine and categorize codes to themes.

FINDINGS

Three overarching themes were the result of this analysis: feeling better, renewed hope, and safety. These three themes capture the experiences of participants in the SSP, including both the challenges and successes they faced.

CONCLUSION

The findings and subsequent discussion focus on both the key best practices of the program, and areas for future development and improvement. Despite barriers to services, prescribed SSPs are improving the lives of people who use drugs, and the current outcomes align with reports and evaluations from other SSPs across Canada.

Impact of the Narcotics Information Management System on Opioid Use Among Outpatients With Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders: Quasi-Experimental Study Using Interrupted Time Series

BACKGROUND

Opioids have traditionally been used to manage acute or terminal pain. However, their prolonged use has the potential for abuse, misuse, and addiction. South Korea introduced a new health care IT system named the Narcotics Information Management System (NIMS) with the objective of managing all aspects of opioid use, including manufacturing, distribution, sales, disposal, etc.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to assess the impact of NIMS on opioid use.

METHODS

We conducted an analysis using national claims data from 45,582 patients diagnosed with musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders between 2016 and 2020. Our approach included using an interrupted time-series analysis and constructing segmented regression models. Within these models, we considered the primary intervention to be the implementation of NIMS, while we treated the COVID-19 outbreak as the secondary event. To comprehensively assess inappropriate opioid use, we examined 4 key indicators, as established in previous studies: (1) the proportion of patients on high-dose opioid treatment, (2) the proportion of patients receiving opioid prescriptions from multiple providers, (3) the overlap rate of opioid prescriptions per patient, and (4) the naloxone use rate among opioid users.

RESULTS

During the study period, there was a general trend of increasing opioid use. After the implementation of NIMS, significant increases were observed in the trend of the proportion of patients on high-dose opioid treatment (coefficient=0.0271; P=.01) and in the level of the proportion of patients receiving opioid prescriptions from multiple providers (coefficient=0.6252; P=.004). An abrupt decline was seen in the level of the naloxone use rate among opioid users (coefficient=-0.2968; P=.04). While these changes were statistically significant, their clinical significance appears to be minor. No significant changes were observed after both the implementation of NIMS and the COVID-19 outbreak.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that, in its current form, the NIMS may not have brought significant improvements to the identified indicators of opioid overuse and misuse. Additionally, the COVID-19 outbreak exhibited no significant influence on opioid use patterns. The absence of real-time monitoring feature within the NIMS could be a key contributing factor. Further exploration and enhancements are needed to maximize the NIMS' impact on curbing inappropriate opioid use.

Fentanyl Concentration in Drug Checking Samples and Risk of Overdose Death in Vancouver, Canada

INTRODUCTION

The proliferation of fentanyl and its analogs in illegal, unregulated drug markets remains a major driver of the overdose crisis in North America. Drug checking services have been implemented as a harm reduction strategy to address the crisis. However, little is known about their potential utility as a mechanism for monitoring population-level risk of overdose stemming from changing fentanyl concentration in unregulated drugs over time. Therefore, this study assessed the relationship between median fentanyl concentration in expected opioid drug checking samples and the death rate due to illicit drug toxicity over time in Vancouver, Canada.

METHODS

Monthly population-based rates of death due to illicit drug toxicity were drawn from provincial coroner records. Monthly median percent fentanyl concentration was calculated using a validated quantification model from point-of-care Fourier-transform infrared spectra among expected opioid samples that tested positive for fentanyl at community drug checking services. A time-series analysis using generalized additive modeling was conducted to examine the association between monthly median fentanyl concentration and monthly death rate due to illicit drug toxicity, controlling for calendar month. Analyses were conducted in 2021-2022.

RESULTS

Between January 2019 and October 2020, 577 deaths due to illicit drug toxicity occurred in Vancouver, and the observed monthly rate ranged from 1.75 to 7.65 deaths per 100,000 population. A significant, positive association was observed between monthly median fentanyl concentration and monthly death rate due to illicit drug toxicity, adjusting for calendar month (chi-square=52.21, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest a role for point-of-care drug checking as a tool for monitoring evolving overdose risk at the population level.

Correlates of nonfatal overdose among treatment-seeking individuals with non-heroin opioid use disorder: Findings from a pragmatic, pan-Canadian, randomized control trial

INTRODUCTION

Misuse of prescription and synthetic opioids is a primary contributor to the escalating overdose crisis in North America. However, factors associated with nonfatal overdose (NFO) in this context are poorly understood. We examined individual and socio-structural level correlates of NFO among treatment-seeking adults with an opioid use disorder (OUD) not attributed to heroin (nonheroin opioid use disorder [NH-OUD]).

METHODS

The study drew data from OPTIMA, a pan-Canadian, multicenter, pragmatic, two-arm randomized control trial comparing supervised methadone and flexible take-home dosing buprenorphine/naloxone models of care among adults with NH-OUD conducted between 2017 and 2020. We used bivariable and multivariable logistic regression to determine factors associated with a lifetime history of NFO among participants enrolled in the trial.

RESULTS

Of 267 included participants, 154 (58%) reported a NFO in their lifetime, of whom 83 (55 %) had an NFO in the last 6 months. In multivariable analyses, positive urine drug test (UDT) for methamphetamine/amphetamine (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 2.59; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-5.80), positive UDT for fentanyl (AOR = 2.31; 95 % CI: 1.01-5.30), receiving income assistance (AOR = 2.17; 95 % CI: 1.18-4.09) and homelessness (AOR = 2.40; 95 % CI: 1.25-4.68) were positively associated with a lifetime history of NFO.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a high prevalence of NFO history in treatment-seeking adults with NH-OUD, particularly among participants with certain drug use patterns and markers of socio-structural marginalization at the time of enrollment. Given the known impact of prior NFO on future harms, these findings highlight the need for comprehensive care approaches that address polysubstance use and social determinants of health to mitigate future overdose risk.

Opioid prescriptions and patients' health services utilization and cost before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory population-based administrative data analysis

The objective was to explore percentages of the population treated with prescribed opioids and costs of opioid-related hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits among individuals treated with prescription opioids and costs of all opioid-related hospitalizations and ED visits in the province (i.e., provincial costs) before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Alberta, Canada. In administrative data, we identified individuals treated with prescription opioids and opioid-related hospitalizations and ED visits among those individuals and among all individuals in the province between 2015/16 and 2021/22 fiscal years. Services used were counted on an item-by-item basis and costed using case-mix approaches. Annually, from 9.98% (2020/21-2021/22) to 14.52% (2017/18) of the provincial population was treated with prescription opioids. Between 2015/16 and 2021/22, annual costs of opioid-related hospitalizations and ED visits among individuals treated with prescription opioids were ∼$5 and ∼$2 million, respectively. In 2020/21-2021/22, the provincial costs of opioid-related hospitalizations (∼$14 million) and ED visits (∼$7.0 million) were almost twice the costs observed in 2015/16 and immediately before the pandemic (2019/20). Our findings suggest that increases in the opioid-related utilization of inpatient and ED services between 2015/16 and 2021/22, including the drastic increases observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, were likely driven by unregulated substances.

Modeling Opioid Abuse: A Case Study of the Opioid Crisis in New England

For the past two decades, the USA has been embroiled in a growing prescription drug epidemic. The ripples of this epidemic have been especially apparent in the state of Maine, which has fought hard to mitigate the damage caused by addiction to pharmaceutical and illicit opioids. In this study, we construct a mathematical model of the opioid epidemic incorporating novel features important to better understanding opioid abuse dynamics. These features include demographic differences in population susceptibility, general transmission expressions, and combined consideration of pharmaceutical opioid and heroin abuse. We demonstrate the usefulness of this model by calibrating it with data for the state of Maine. Model calibration is accompanied by sensitivity and uncertainty analysis to quantify potential error in parameter estimates and forecasts. The model is analyzed to determine the mechanisms most influential to the number of opioid abusers and to find effective ways of controlling opioid abuse prevalence. We found that the mechanisms most influential to the overall number of abusers in Maine are those involved in illicit pharmaceutical opioid abuse transmission. Consequently, preventative strategies that controlled for illicit transmission were more effective over alternative approaches, such as treatment. These results are presented with the hope of helping to inform public policy as to the most effective means of intervention.

Sensitivity to change of generic preference-based instruments (EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and HUI3) in the context of treatment for people with prescription-type opioid use disorder in Canada

PURPOSE

Using data from a randomized controlled trial for treatment of prescription-type opioid use disorder in Canada, this study examines sensitivity to change in three preference-based instruments [EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3)] and explores an oft-overlooked consideration when working with contemporaneous responses for similar questions-data quality.

METHODS

Analyses focused on the relative abilities of three instruments to capture change in health status. Distributional methods were used to categorize individuals as 'improved' or 'not improved' for eight anchors (seven clinical, one generic). Sensitivity to change was assessed using area under the ROC (receiver operating characteristics) curve (AUC) analysis and comparisons of mean change scores for three time periods. A 'strict' data quality criteria, defined a priori, was applied. Analyses were replicated using 'soft' and 'no' criteria.

RESULTS

Data from 160 individuals were used in the analysis; 30% had at least one data quality violation at baseline. Despite mean index scores being significantly lower for the HUI3 compared with EQ-5D instruments at each time point, the magnitudes of change scores were similar. No instrument demonstrated superior sensitivity to change. While six of the 10 highest AUC estimates were for the HUI3, 'moderate' classifications of discriminative ability were identified in 12 (of 22) analyses for each EQ-5D instrument, compared with eight for the HUI3.

CONCLUSION

Negligible differences were observed between the EQ-5D-3L, EQ-5D-5L, and HUI3 regarding the ability to measure change. The prevalence of data quality violations-which differed by ethnicity-requires further investigation.

Individualized Prospective Prediction of Opioid Use Disorder

OBJECTIVE

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a chronic relapsing disorder with a problematic pattern of opioid use, affecting nearly 27 million people worldwide. Machine learning (ML)-based prediction of OUD may lead to early detection and intervention. However, most ML prediction studies were not based on representative data sources and prospective validations, limiting their potential to predict future new cases. In the current study, we aimed to develop and prospectively validate an ML model that could predict individual OUD cases based on representative large-scale health data.

METHOD

We present an ensemble machine-learning model trained on a cross-linked Canadian administrative health data set from 2014 to 2018 (n  =  699,164), with validation of model-predicted OUD cases on a hold-out sample from 2014 to 2018 (n  =  174,791) and prospective prediction of OUD cases on a non-overlapping sample from 2019 (n  =  316,039). We used administrative records of OUD diagnosis for each subject based on International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes.

RESULTS

With 6409 OUD cases in 2019 (mean [SD], 45.34 [14.28], 3400 males), our model prospectively predicted OUD cases at a high accuracy (balanced accuracy, 86%, sensitivity, 93%; specificity 79%). In accord with prior findings, the top risk factors for OUD in this model were opioid use indicators and a history of other substance use disorders.

CONCLUSION

Our study presents an individualized prospective prediction of OUD cases by applying ML to large administrative health datasets. Such prospective predictions based on ML would be essential for potential future clinical applications in the early detection of OUD.

The increase in benzodiazepine-laced drugs and related risks in Canada: The urgent need for effective and sustainable solutions

The overdose crisis in Canada has continuously evolved and is increasingly challenging to contain, while efforts from governments and policymakers to address it have often fallen short and resulted in unintended consequences. One of the main repercussions has been an unprecedented rise in adulterants in the illegal drug supply, including a wide array of pharmacological and psychoactive compounds and chemicals, which has resulted in a progressively toxic drug supply. Most recently, there has been a stark increase in synthetic benzodiazepine-laced opioids (i.e., 'benzodope') in some Canadian jurisdictions. This unique combination carries distinct and amplified risks for people who use drugs including fatal and non-fatal overdoses, increased dependence and withdrawal symptoms, and places them in extremely vulnerable positions. The emergence of benzodiazepines within the illicit drug supply has substantially contributed to drug-related morbidity and mortality in Canada, and has further complicated current public health initiatives and overdose prevention efforts. This reality underscores the need for effective and sustainable policy solutions to address the evolving overdose epidemic including increased knowledge and education on the specific harms of opioid and benzodiazepine co-use (especially in regards to the complexity of opioid/benzodiazepine overdoses), scaling-up harm reduction measures, and eliminating the toxic drug supply altogether.

Discontinuation and tapering of prescribed opioids and risk of overdose among people on long-term opioid therapy for pain with and without opioid use disorder in British Columbia, Canada: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

The overdose crisis in North America has prompted system-level efforts to restrict opioid prescribing for chronic pain. However, little is known about how discontinuing or tapering prescribed opioids for chronic pain shapes overdose risk, including possible differential effects among people with and without concurrent opioid use disorder (OUD). We examined associations between discontinuation and tapering of prescribed opioids and risk of overdose among people on long-term opioid therapy for pain, stratified by diagnosed OUD and prescribed opioid agonist therapy (OAT) status.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

For this retrospective cohort study, we used a 20% random sample of residents in the provincial health insurance client roster in British Columbia (BC), Canada, contained in the BC Provincial Overdose Cohort. The study sample included persons aged 14 to 74 years on long-term opioid therapy for pain (≥90 days with ≥90% of days on therapy) between October 2014 and June 2018 (n = 14,037). At baseline, 7,256 (51.7%) persons were female, the median age was 55 years (quartile 1-3: 47-63), 227 (1.6%) persons had been diagnosed with OUD (in the past 3 years) and recently (i.e., in the past 90 days) been prescribed OAT, and 483 (3.4%) had been diagnosed with OUD but not recently prescribed OAT. The median follow-up duration per person was 3.7 years (quartile 1-3: 2.6-4.0). Marginal structural Cox regression with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to estimate the effect of prescribed opioid treatment for pain status (discontinuation versus tapered therapy versus continued therapy [reference]) on risk of overdose (fatal or nonfatal), stratified by the following groups: people without diagnosed OUD, people with diagnosed OUD receiving OAT, and people with diagnosed OUD not receiving OAT. In marginal structural models with IPTW adjusted for a range of demographic, prescription, comorbidity, and social-structural exposures, discontinuing opioids (i.e., ≥7-day gap[s] in therapy) was associated with increased overdose risk among people without OUD (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] = 1.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12, 1.83; p = 0.004), people with OUD not receiving OAT (AHR = 3.18; 95% CI 1.87, 5.40; p < 0.001), and people with OUD receiving OAT (AHR = 2.52; 95% CI 1.68, 3.78; p < 0.001). Opioid tapering (i.e., ≥2 sequential decreases of ≥5% in average daily morphine milligram equivalents) was associated with decreased overdose risk among people with OUD not receiving OAT (AHR = 0.31; 95% CI 0.14, 0.67; p = 0.003). The main study limitations are that the outcome measure did not capture overdose events that did not result in a healthcare encounter or death, medication dispensation may not reflect medication adherence, residual confounding may have influenced findings, and findings may not be generalizable to persons on opioid therapy in other settings.

CONCLUSIONS

Discontinuing prescribed opioids was associated with increased overdose risk, particularly among people with OUD. Prescribed opioid tapering was associated with reduced overdose risk among people with OUD not receiving OAT. These findings highlight the need to avoid abrupt discontinuation of opioids for pain. Enhanced guidance is needed to support prescribers in implementing opioid therapy tapering strategies with consideration of OUD and OAT status.

Current and emerging pharmacotherapies for opioid dependence treatments in adults: a comprehensive update

INTRODUCTION

Opioid use disorder (OUD) is characterized by compulsive opioid seeking and taking, intense drug craving, and intake of opioids despite negative consequences. The prevalence of OUDs has now reached an all-time high, in parallel with peak rates of fatal opioid-related overdoses, where 15 million individuals worldwide meet the criteria for OUD. Further, in 2020, 120,000 opioid-related deaths were reported worldwide with over 75,000 of those deaths occurring within the United States.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we highlight pharmacotherapies utilized in patients with OUDs, including opioid replacement therapies, and opioid antagonists utilized for opioid overdoses and deterrent of opioid use. We also highlight newer treatments, such as those targeting the neuroimmune system, which are potential new directions for research given the recently established role of opioids in activating neuroinflammatory pathways, as well as over the counter remedies, including kratom, that may mitigate withdrawal.

EXPERT OPINION

To effectively treat OUDs, a deeper understanding of the current therapeutics being utilized, their additive effects, and the added involvement of the neuroimmune system are essential. Additionally, a complete understanding of opioid-induced neuronal alterations and therapeutics that target these abnormalities - including the neuroimmune system - is required to develop effective treatments for OUDs.

Endogenous opiates and behavior: 2020

This paper is the forty-third consecutive installment of the annual anthological review of research concerning the endogenous opioid system, summarizing articles published during 2020 that studied the behavioral effects of molecular, pharmacological and genetic manipulation of opioid peptides and receptors as well as effects of opioid/opiate agonists and antagonists. The review is subdivided into the following specific topics: molecular-biochemical effects and neurochemical localization studies of endogenous opioids and their receptors (1), the roles of these opioid peptides and receptors in pain and analgesia in animals (2) and humans (3), opioid-sensitive and opioid-insensitive effects of nonopioid analgesics (4), opioid peptide and receptor involvement in tolerance and dependence (5), stress and social status (6), learning and memory (7), eating and drinking (8), drug abuse and alcohol (9), sexual activity and hormones, pregnancy, development and endocrinology (10), mental illness and mood (11), seizures and neurologic disorders (12), electrical-related activity and neurophysiology (13), general activity and locomotion (14), gastrointestinal, renal and hepatic functions (15), cardiovascular responses (16), respiration and thermoregulation (17), and immunological responses (18).

How Would You Treat This Patient With Acute and Chronic Pain From Sickle Cell Disease? : Grand Rounds Discussion From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Sickle cell disease is prevalent in large numbers of patients in the United States and has a significant global impact. Its complications span numerous organs and lead to reduced life expectancy. Acute and chronic sickle cell pain is a common cause of patient suffering. The American Society of Hematology published updated guidelines on management of acute and chronic pain from sickle cell disease in 2019. Several of the recommendations are conditional and leave specific decisions to the treating physician. These include conditional recommendations about the use of ketamine for acute pain and the initiation and discontinuation of long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. Here, 2 hematologists discuss these guidelines and make contrasting recommendations for the management of acute and chronic pain for a patient with sickle cell disease.

Trends in dispensing of individual prescription opioid formulations, Canada 2005-2020

Background

Canada has experienced a distinctly bifurcated pattern of (strong) opioid utilization post-2000, with multifold increases rendering it one of the world’s highest opioid consumption rates, followed by subsequent substantive declines since 2011/2012. Several interventions to control especially high-risk opioid use have been implemented post-2010 at different levels, yet with their effects assessed mostly for overall opioid utilization. Little knowledge exists for over-time patterns of individual opioid formulations.

Methods

Raw information on community-based prescription opioid dispensing for years 2005–2020 were obtained from a large national database based on a stratified sample of 6500 retail pharmacies across Canada (IQVIA/Compuscript), These data were converted into Defined-Daily-Doses/1000 population/day (DDD/1000/day) for individual (strong and weak) opioid formulations—specifically: fentanyl, hydromorphone, hydrocodone, morphine, oxycodone, codeine—per standard methods. Descriptive data on individual opioid dispensing were computed, and segmented regression (or ‘broken-stick’) analysis was applied to the overtime dispensing towards assessing potentially significant ‘breakpoints’ interrupting linear utilization trends. Akaike information criterion (AIC) values were computed to assess the resulting models’ quality-of-fit.

Results

Five of the six opioid formulations featured a lower dispensing level in 2020 compared with 2005, but mostly with peak values in years between, contributing to the overall inversion pattern. For five of the six opioid formulations, a three-segmented model emerged as the best fit for the dispensing observed; only hydrocodone presented a linear (downward) dispensing trend. Among the five interrupted trend models for individual formulations, four (fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone, codeine but not hydromorphone) indicated their initial breakpoint during 2011–2014 introducing a downward dispensing trend. Inconsistently, morphine also featured a recent breakpoint (2018) towards a dispensing increase.

Conclusions

While all opioids showed marked declines, we found heterogeneous patterns of dispensing for individual opioid formulations. While we cannot estimate direct causal effects, opioid control interventions appear to have had differential impacts on dispensing of individual formulations. The earliest breakpoint occurred towards substantive decreases for oxycodone dispensing in 2011; subsequently, there were increases in dispensing of hydromorphone and fentanyl likely due to substitution effects, followed by across-the-board declines post-2015/2016. Recent ‘safer opioid’ distribution programs to reduce illicit/toxic opioid exposure linked with high levels of poisoning fatalities seem to fuel resurgences in select opioid (e.g., morphine) dispensing.

Synthetic opioids: a review and clinical update

The term 'opioids' refers to both the natural compounds ('opiates') which are extracted from the opium poppy plant (Papaver somniferum) and their semi-synthetic and synthetic derivatives. They all possess relatively similar biochemical profiles and interact with the opioid receptors within the human body to produce a wide range of physiological effects. They have historically been used for medicinal purposes, their analgesic and sedative effects, and in the management of chronic and severe pain. They have also been used for non-medicinal and recreational purposes to produce feelings of relaxation, euphoria and well-being. Over the last decade, the emergence of an illegal market in new synthetic opioids has become a major global public health issue, associated with a substantial increase in unintentional overdoses and drug-related deaths. Synthetic opioids include fentanyl, its analogues and emerging non-fentanyl opioids. Their popularity relates to changes in criminal markets, pricing, potency, availability compared to classic opioids, ease of transport and use, rapid effect and lack of detection by conventional testing technologies. This article expands on our previous review on new psychoactive substances. We now provide a more in-depth review on synthetic opioids and explore the current challenges faced by people who use drugs, healthcare professionals, and global public health systems.

Opioid analgesic prescribing for opioid-naïve individuals prior to identification of opioid use disorder in British Columbia, Canada

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Prescription opioid analgesics have contributed to the development of opioid use disorder (OUD) in many individuals. We aimed to characterize non-cancer opioid prescribing for opioid-naive individuals prior to OUD identification.

DESIGN

Population-based retrospective cohort study using six linked health administrative databases.

SETTING

British Columbia (BC), Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

People with OUD between 1 January 2001 and 30 September 2018 who initiated opioid analgesic therapy for non-cancer pain prior to OUD identification.

MEASUREMENTS

Dose (morphine milligram equivalent per day), days prescribed and clinical guideline non-concordance for initial opioid prescriptions (dose ≥ 90 morphine milligram equivalent per day; ≥ 7 days prescribed; concomitant sedative prescription). We estimated the probability of non-concordant initial prescriptions by source (inpatient post-discharge, non-inpatient acute, non-acute) using logistic regression, adjusting for individual characteristics and comorbidities.

FINDINGS

Among 66 372 individuals identified with OUD from 2001 to 2018, 21 331 (32.1%) received opioid analgesics prior to OUD identification. This proportion increased from 3.0% in 2001 to 41.0% in 2011, before decreasing to 34.2% in 2017. Roughly half of opioid prescriptions were attributed to non-acute care visits, peaking at 56.8% in 2007, while the proportion from inpatient visits increased from 19.7% in 2001 to 28.5% in 2017. The predicted probability of receiving non-guideline concordant prescriptions declined over time-periods across all three measures for inpatient and non-inpatient acute care, while remaining stable for non-acute care. In particular, the predicted probability of receiving ≥ 7-day prescriptions following inpatient visits decreased from 53.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 50.9, 55.8%] in 2001-06 to 37.2% (95% CI = 33.9, 40.5%) in 2013-18.

CONCLUSIONS

Among the 66 372 individuals in British Columbia, Canada diagnosed with opioid use disorder between 2001 and 2018, more than 32% were earlier prescribed non-cancer opioid analgesics. The proportion who had received an opioid analgesic prescription prior to OUD identification peaked at more than 40% in 2011, before stabilizing between 2011 and 2016 and declining thereafter. Guideline concordance improved over time for high-dose and concomitant sedative prescribing.

Factors Associated with Pain Treatment Satisfaction Among Patients with Chronic Non-Cancer Pain and Substance Use

INTRODUCTION

A better understanding of pain treatment satisfaction in patients with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) and substance use is needed, especially as opioid prescribing policies are changing. We sought to identify factors associated with pain treatment satisfaction in individuals with CNCP on recent opioid therapy and prior or active substance use.

METHODS

An exploratory cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from a cohort study of 300 adults with CNCP receiving >20 morphine milligram equivalents of opioids for ≥3 of the preceding 12 months and prior or active substance use. Participants completed interviews, clinical assessments, urine drug screening, and medical chart review.

RESULTS

Participants were predominantly middle-aged (mean age 57.5 years), Black (44%), and cisgender men (60%). One-third (33%) had high, 28% moderate, and 39% low pain treatment satisfaction. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), tobacco use, past-year opioid discontinuation, and higher average pain scores were associated with lower satisfaction. HIV and prescription cannabis use were associated with higher satisfaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between PTSD and tobacco use with lower satisfaction should be explored to augment pain outcomes. Higher satisfaction among individuals with HIV and prescription cannabis use presents potential research areas to guide CNCP management and reduce reliance on opioid therapies.

The association between prescription opioid dispensing and opioid-related morbidity and mortality in Ontario, Canada: an ecological study of public health units

OBJECTIVE

Overdose and death rates from opioids continue to rise. However, the relative contribution of prescription opioids to the ongoing crisis is unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between prescription opioid dispensing and opioid-related morbidity and mortality.

METHODS

Regional-level data for this ecological study were extracted from publicly available databases for the years 2013-2018 in Ontario, Canada. The primary exposure variable was opioids dispensed, in milligram morphine equivalents (MME), per capita by public health unit (PHU) in a given year. The primary outcome was the rate of opioid-related emergency department (ED) visits per 100,000 by PHU. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analytic models were developed to account for clustering by PHU over time while adjusting for demographic and population health characteristics at the regional level.

RESULTS

Higher per capita MME of opioids dispensed was associated with lower rates of opioid-related ED visits per 100,000 (β=-0.091, 95 % CI: -0.110 to -0.077, p < 0.001), as well as with lower rates of opioid-related deaths per 100,000 (β=-0.012, 95 % CI: -0.014 to -0.007, p < 0.001). In subgroup analyses based on time periods (2016-2018 vs. 2013-2015), this negative association was seen only for the period 2016-2018.

INTERPRETATION

Higher per capita regional opioid prescribing was not positively associated with an increased rate of opioid-related emergency room visits or opioid-related deaths. Further studies with patient-level data are needed to better understand our findings.

Correlations between Changes in Medical Opioid Dispensing and Contributions of Fentanyl to Opioid-Related Overdose Fatalities: Exploratory Analyses from Canada

Canada is experiencing an epidemic of opioid-related mortality, with increasing yet heterogeneous fatality patterns from illicit/synthetic (e.g., fentanyl) opioids. The present study examined whether differential provincial reductions in medical opioid dispensing following restrictive regulations (post-2010) were associated with differential contributions of fentanyl to opioid mortality. Annual provincial opioid dispensing totals in defined daily doses/1000 population/day, and change rates in opioid dispensing for the 10 provinces for (1) 2011-2018 and (2) "peak-year" to 2018 were derived from a pan-Canadian pharmacy-based dispensing panel. Provincial contribution rates of fentanyl to opioid-related mortality (2016-2019) were averaged. Correlation values (Pearson's R) between provincial changes in opioid dispensing and the relative fentanyl contributions to mortality were computed for the two scenarios. The correlation between province-based changes in opioid dispensing (2011-2018) and the relative contribution of fentanyl to total opioid deaths (2016-2019) was -0.70 (t = 2.75; df = 8; p = 0.03); the corresponding correlation for opioid dispensing changes ("peak-year" to 2018) was -0.59 (t = -2.06; df = 8; p = 0.07). Provincial reductions in medical opioid dispensing indicated (near-)significant correlations with fentanyl contribution rates to opioid-related death totals. Differential reductions in pharmaceutical opioid availability may have created supply voids for nonmedical use, substituted with synthetic/toxic (e.g., fentanyl) opioids and leading to accelerated opioid mortality. Implications of these possible unintended adverse consequences warrant consideration for public health policy.

Food insecurity, chronic pain, and use of prescription opioids

Chronic pain has been on the rise in recent decades in Canada. Accordingly, the use of prescription opioids (PO) in Canada increased drastically between 2005 and 2014, only starting to decrease in 2015. Both pain and PO use have serious public health repercussions, disproporionately affecting select socially disadvantaged populations. Food insecurity is a strong risk factor for mental disorders and suicidal outcomes, yet its relationship to chronic pain and PO use is largely unknown. Using two recent cycles from the population representative Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), we examined the association of household food insecurity status with chronic pain and PO use among Canadians 12 years and older, adjusting for health and sociodemographic characteristics. Compared to food-secure individuals, marginally, moderately, and severely food-insecure individuals had 1.31 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-1.48), 1.89 (95% CI 1.71-2.08), and 3.29 (95% CI 2.90-3.74) times higher odds of experiencing chronic pain and 1.55 (95% CI 1.30-1.85), 1.77 (95% CI 1.54-2.04), and 2.65 (95% CI 2.27-3.09) times higher odds of using PO in the past year, respectively. The graded association with food insecurity severity was also found in severe pain experience and pain-induced activity limitations among chronic pain patients and, less consistently, in intensive, excess, and alternative use of PO and its acquisition through means other than medical prescription among past-year PO users. Food insecurity was a much more powerful predictor of chronic pain and PO use than other well-established social determinants of health like income and education. Policies reducing food insecurity may lower incidence of chronic pain and help contain the opioid crisis.

Age-based preferences for risk communication in the fentanyl era: 'A lot of people keep seeing other people die and that's not enough for them'

AIMS

To explore how people who use fentanyl and health-care providers engaged in and responded to overdose risk communication interactions, and how these engagements and responses might vary by age.

DESIGN

A single-site qualitative in-depth interview study.

SETTING

Boston, MA, United States.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample included 21 people (10 women, 11 men) who were either 18-25 or 35+, English-speaking, and reported illicit fentanyl use in the last year and 10 health-care providers who worked directly with people who use fentanyl (PWUF) in clinical and community settings.

MEASUREMENTS

Open-ended, flexible interview questions guided by a risk communication framework were used in all interviews. Codes used for thematic analysis included deductive codes related to the risk communication framework and inductive, emergent codes from interview content.

FINDINGS

We identified potential age-based differences in perceptions of fentanyl overdose, including that younger participants appeared to display more perceptions of an immunity to fentanyl's lethality, while older people seemed to express a stronger aversion to fentanyl due to its heightened risk of fatal overdose, shorter effects and potential for long-term health consequences. Providers perceived greater challenges relaying risk information to young PWUF and believed them to be less open to risk communication. Compassionate harm reduction communication was preferred by all participants and perceived to be delivered most effectively by community health workers and peers. PWUF and providers identified structural barriers that limited compassionate harm reduction, including misalignment of available treatment with preferred options and clinical structures that impeded the delivery of risk communication messages.

CONCLUSIONS

Among people who engage in illicit fentanyl use, fentanyl-related risk communication experiences and preferences may vary by age, but some foundational elements including compassionate, trust-building approaches seem to be preferred across the age spectrum. Structural barriers in the clinical setting such as provider-prescribing power and infrequent encounters may impede the providers' ability to provide compassionate harm reduction communication.

Why comparative epidemiological indicators suggest that New Zealand is unlikely to experience a severe opioid epidemic

North America (i.e., the United States and Canada) and select other wealthy Commonwealth countries (e.g., Australia, the UK) have been experiencing marked 'opioid epidemics', consisting of elevated opioid use and related (e.g., mortality and morbidity) harms involving both prescription and, increasingly, illicit opioid substances. Multiple commentators have alerted to the possibility of New Zealand becoming home to a similar opioid crisis. In this article, we briefly examine and compare key system-level epidemiological indicators for New Zealand in regards to this situation and prospect. These data suggest that, comparatively, population-level (medical) opioid use, exposure and supply in New Zealand have been low and moderate, mostly involving restrained and lower-risk (e.g., short-duration, few long-acting/high-potency formulations, restricted settings) medical opioid availability, with limited over-time increases and absent the major oscillations in opioid dispensing observed elsewhere. Similarly, illicit opioids have been rather low in availability and use, and do not form primary substances in illicit drug scenes or markets. Correspondingly, opioid-related mortality in New Zealand has been somewhat increasing over-time albeit at comparably low levels, and principally involves methadone, morphine and codeine, i.e. the main opioids medically prescribed. Synthesizing the evidence, New Zealand has not featured the distinct characteristics or system-level drivers that have facilitated the opioid epidemics as have unfolded in other jurisdictions. It appears that New Zealand may have all along engaged in the more measured opioid use practices that other jurisdictions have attempted to revert to post-hoc (but largely when too late) while experiencing extensive adverse consequences related to opioids. On this basis, New Zealand provides for a worthwhile comparative case study towards more moderate opioid utilization and control entailing relatively limited collateral harms (e.g., opioid mortality) on public health compared to elsewhere. Details and characteristics of New Zealand's approach to and experience with opioids should be further examined for future and other jurisdictions' benefit.

'Resurgent', 'twin' or 'silent' epidemic? A select data overview and observations on increasing psycho-stimulant use and harms in North America

In the early 2000s, increasing prevalence of psycho-stimulant (e.g., crack/cocaine, methamphetamine) use and related harms, including severe adverse health outcomes, was observed among - mostly marginalized - populations of persons using illicit drugs in North America, underscoring an urgent need for interventions options towards improved prevention and treatment. By about 2010, however, the 'opioid crisis', featuring unprecedented use and public health burden, had accelerated into full force in North America, largely muting attention to the psycho-stimulant issue until recently. Recent surveillance data on drug use and related mortality/morbidity from the present decade has documented a marked resurgence of psycho-stimulant use and harms especially in at-risk populations, commonly in direct combination with opioids, across North America, resulting in a 'twin epidemic' comprised of opioids and psycho-stimulants We briefly review select epidemiological data indicators for these developments from the United States and Canada; in the latter jurisdiction, related evidence has been less prevalent and systematic but corroborating the same trends. Evidently, the (widely ongoing) focus on the 'opioid epidemic' as a 'mono-type' drug problem has become an anachronism that requires urgent and appropriate correction. We then briefly consider existing, evidence-based options for - prevention and treatment - interventions targeting psycho-stimulant use and harms, which are substantially more limited and/or less efficacious than those available for problematic opioid use, while presenting major gaps and challenges. The observed resurgence of psycho-stimulants may, indirectly, relate to recent efforts towards curtailing (medical) opioid availability, thereby accelerating demand and supply for both illicit opioids and psycho-stimulants. The presently unfolding 'twin epidemic' of opioids and psycho-stimulants, combined with limited intervention resources, presents an acute challenge for public health and may crucially undermine actively extensive efforts to reduce opioid-related health harms in North America.

Opioid use, regulation, and harms in Brazil: a comprehensive narrative overview of available data and indicators

BACKGROUND

Global opioid consumption increased multifold post-2000, disproportionately in high-income countries, with severe mortality/morbidity consequences. Latin America features comparatively low opioid availability; Brazil, the region's most populous country, makes an interesting case study concerning opioid use/harms. In this comprehensive overview, we aimed to identify and summarize medical and non-medical data and indicators of opioid availability and use, regulation/control, and harm outcomes in Brazil since 2000.

METHODS

We searched multiple scientific databases to identify relevant publications and conducted additional 'grey' literature searches to identify other pertinent information.

RESULTS

Despite some essential indicators, opioid-related data are limited for Brazil. Data indicate that population-level availability of prescription opioids represents only a small fraction of use in comparison to high-income countries. However, within Latin America, Brazil ranks mid-level for opioid consumption, indicating relatively moderate consumption compared to neighboring jurisdictions. Brazil has implemented restrictive regulations to opioid prescribing and is considered 'highly restricted' for opioid access. Codeine remains the major opioid analgesic utilized, but stronger opioids such as oxycodone are becoming more common. Professional knowledge regarding medical opioid use and effects appears limited. National surveys indicate increases in non-medical use of prescription opioids, albeit lower than observed in North America, while illicit opioids (e.g., heroin) are highly uncommon.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall population-level opioid availability and corresponding levels of opioid-related harms in Brazil remain substantially lower than rates reported for North America. However, the available surveillance and analytical data on opioid use, policy/practice, and harms in Brazil are limited and insufficient. Since existing and acute (e.g., pain-related) needs for improved opioid utilization and practice appear to be substantiated, improved indicators for and understanding of opioid use, practice, and harms in Brazil are required.

Pharmacist Views Regarding the Prescription Opioid Epidemic

Community pharmacists have significant opportunity to contribute to prevention and treatment of opioid use disorders, but barriers to implementation still exist. Understanding their viewpoints is critical to designing future interventions. To qualitatively explore experiences and beliefs of community pharmacists regarding the misuse of prescription opioids in the United States. The study was part of a larger project that utilized a survey questionnaire to evaluate the relationships between knowledge, attitudes, and practices of community pharmacists in substance use disorders. The survey included an open-ended item on pharmacist views regarding the prescription opioid epidemic. The responses were used for inductive content analysis. Axial coding of themes was conducted to analyze underlying relationships: associations, consequences, intervening relationships, and action strategies regarding a central phenomenon. A model describing pharmacist experiences in the opioid epidemic was conceptualized. The open-ended question resulted in 50 (37.3%) usable responses. Final abstraction resulted in six themes including (1) overprescribing opioids: inappropriate prescribing as a contributor to the epidemic, (2) policy and practice recommendations: potential action strategies against the epidemic, (3) poor prescriber-pharmacist relationship: barrier to addressing the epidemic, (4) negative attitudes: intervening condition affecting roles of the pharmacist, (5) personal experience: facilitator to improve pharmacist roles and (6) decreased access to opioids: consequence of strict prescribing laws. The study identified themes that described pharmacist views, attitudes, barriers, and experiences related to their perceived role in prevention and treatment of opioid use disorders. Future research should consider the implications of the barriers and facilitators identified.

Comparison of Crude Population-Level Indicators of Opioid Use and Related Harm in New Zealand and Ontario (Canada)

North America and select other Commonwealth jurisdictions have been experiencing unprecedented opioid epidemics characterized by excessive and persistently high levels of opioid misuse, morbidity and mortality, and related disease burden. Recent discussions have considered whether New Zealand might undergo or needs to expect a similar ‘opioid crisis’. Towards further informing these considerations, we examine and compare essential, publicly available indicators of opioid utilization and harms (mortality) from New Zealand and the Canadian province of Ontario, due to the fact that both operate public health care systems in similar socio-cultural settings. We find that the two jurisdictions have featured vastly different population levels of opioid exposure, opioid consumption patterns (e.g., high-dose/long-term/high-risk prescribing) known as key predictors of adverse outcomes, and levels of opioid mortality as evidenced by concrete epidemiological indicators and data. Specifically for opioid-related death rates, these were already approximately threefold higher in Ontario compared to New Zealand based on most recent comparison data (e.g., 2012); these differentials have likely further grown more recently given major and distinct changes in population-level opioid exposure and risks, and subsequent opioid-related deaths since then in Ontario. Based on the present data and related evidence, New Zealand does not seem to need to anticipate an opioid mortality epidemic similar to that experienced in North America; however, it would be of interest to establish more comprehensive and timely surveillance of key system-level indicators of opioid use and harms as are standard in North America. As such, this inter-jurisdictional comparison makes for a case study in starkly contrasting scenarios of opioid use and harms, the drivers behind which deserve further systematic examination.

Estimates of opioid use disorder prevalence from a regression-based multi-sample stratified capture-recapture analysis

BACKGROUND

An epidemic of opioid overdose has spread across North America, with illicit drug-related overdose emerging as a leading cause of death in recent years. Estimates of opioid use disorder (OUD) prevalence at the level of the public health service delivery area are needed to project resource needs and identify priority areas for targeted intervention. Our objective is to estimate the annual prevalence of OUD in British Columbia (BC), Canada, from 2000 to 2017.

METHODS

We performed a multi-sample stratified capture-recapture analysis to estimate OUD prevalence in BC. The analysis included individuals identified from 3 administrative databases for 2000-2011 and 4 databases for 2012-2017, linked at the individual level. Negative binomial regression models on the counts of individuals within these strata were used to estimate prevalence, adjusting for dependency between databases.

RESULTS

OUD prevalence in BC among people aged 12 years or older was 1.00 % (N = 34,663 individuals) in 2000 and increased to 1.54 % (N = 61,080) in 2011. Between 2013 and 2017 prevalence increased from 1.57 % (95 % confidence interval: 1.56-1.58) to 1.92 % (1.89-1.95; N = 83,760; 82,492-84,855). The greatest increases in prevalence were observed among males 12-30 years old and 31-44 years old, with 43.2 % and 40.2 % increases from 2013 to 2017.

CONCLUSIONS

In BC, the OUD prevalence was 1.92 % among people 12 years or older in 2017. We estimated that prevalence has nearly doubled since 2000, with the highest increases in prevalence observed among males under 45.

‘Safer opioid distribution’ as an essential public health intervention for the opioid mortality crisis – Considerations, options and examples towards broad-based implementation

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Canada experiences excessive opioid mortality, mainly from toxic opioid exposure.

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Many interventions have been implemented, but are limited in reach and impact.

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‘Safer opioid distribution’ (SOD) is a crucial preventive measure for overdose.

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SOD needs to be implemented for a large, ‘at-risk’ opioid user population.

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Other community-based public health interventions may guide SOD organization.

Some notes on the use, concept and socio-political framing of 'stigma' focusing on an opioid-related public health crisis

Canada has been home to a longstanding public health crisis related to opioids, including an extensive mortality and morbidity toll in the face of substantive intervention gaps. Recently (2019), two extensive reports from preeminent federal authorities - the Chief Public Health Officer and the Mental Health Commission of Canada - have been tabled with detailed, core focus on the phenomenon of 'stigma' and its impacts on substance/opioid use and harms. The reports present extensive descriptions of the nature and effects, as well as a multitude of prescriptions for remedial measures and actions to "stop the cycle of stigma". Closer reading of the documents, however, suggests substantial conceptual and empirical limitations in the characterization of the - multi-faceted and challenging - nature and workings of 'stigma' as a socio-political, structural or individual process or force, specifically as it applies to and negatively affects substance use and related outcomes, primarily the wellbeing of substance users. Concretely, it is unclear how the remedial actions proposed will materially alleviate stigma process and impacts, especially given apparent gaps in the issues examined, including essential strategies - for example, reform of drug user criminalization as a fundamental element and driver of structural stigma - for action that directly relate to the jurisdictions and privileged mandates of the report sources themselves as health and policy leaders. The commentary provides some concrete while subjective notes and observations on the dynamics of stigma as applies to and framed for substance/opioid use, as well as strategies and measures necessary to both tangibly address the material health and wellbeing of substance users, and related forces of stigma, in the distinct context of the opioid crisis in Canada.

Adult opioid poisonings by drug, intent, and resource use from the United States National Poison Data System from 2005-2018

INTRODUCTION

Deaths due to an opioid overdose nearly doubled from 2013 to 2017. Our objective is to describe the trends in intent, healthcare resource use, and clinical outcomes among adults with opioid exposures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study is a retrospective analysis of data from the 55 U.S. poison control centers. Adults, >19 years, with an opioid as the primary poisoning agent between 2005 and 2018 were included. These years were divided into three epochs (2005-2009, 2010-2014, and 2015-2018) to describe the trends in frequency, intent, severity, healthcare resource use, and regional differences in U.S. adults affected by prescription and illicit opioid exposures.

RESULTS

A total of 546,049 (54.4%) of the 1,002,947 opioid-related cases reported to the U.S. poison centers met inclusion criteria. The percentage of patients with a moderate/major clinical effect increased in each epoch (24.4, 29.13, and 35.3%) as did the proportion of patients with illicit opioids (coded as heroin) as their primary substance (2.89, 5.47, and 13.95%). Illicit opioid use was associated with increased frequency of moderate/major clinical effects (54.2 vs. 27.4%), need for an ICU procedure (11.4 vs. 6.8%), and death (3.9 vs. 1.2%) compared with prescription opioid use. Suicidal intent (34.88%) followed by misuse/abuse (26.26%) were the most frequent intents. Misuse/abuse increased in frequency over each epoch in the study period (23.1 vs. 26.12 vs. 30.3%). Discussion and conclusions: The severity of clinical effects and death following acute opioid poisonings increased over the study period, driven by suicidal intent and an increasing proportion of illicit opioid cases. This study highlights the importance of developing strategies to address suicide prevention in addition to the continued focus on opioid use disorder.