Trends in utilization of tramadol and other opioids in Denmark 2017–2023: A nationwide drug utilization study

The use of tramadol and other opioids for pain management has been accompanied by a multitude of challenges and concerns worldwide. The use of tramadol saw a decline in Denmark during 2017–2019 accompanied by a slight increase in the use of morphine and oxycodone. Using the Danish National Prescript...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British journal of clinical pharmacology Vol. 91; no. 3; pp. 908 - 913
Main Authors: Rasmussen, Lotte, Ernst, Martin Thomsen, Forberg, Solveig, Pottegård, Anton, Søndergaard, Jens, Sørensen, Anne Mette Skov
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England 01.03.2025
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Analgesics, Opioid - administration & dosage
Analgesics, Opioid - therapeutic use
Denmark
Denmark - epidemiology
Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data
drug utilization
Drug Utilization - statistics & numerical data
Drug Utilization - trends
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
opioids
Pain Management - methods
Pain Management - trends
Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data
Practice Patterns, Physicians' - trends
Registries
tramadol
Tramadol - administration & dosage
Tramadol - therapeutic use
Denmark
Denmark
tramadol
drug utilization
opioids
ISSN:0306-5251, 1365-2125, 1365-2125
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The use of tramadol and other opioids for pain management has been accompanied by a multitude of challenges and concerns worldwide. The use of tramadol saw a decline in Denmark during 2017–2019 accompanied by a slight increase in the use of morphine and oxycodone. Using the Danish National Prescription Registry and utilizing data until and including 2023, we aimed to provide updated data on the utilization patterns of tramadol and other opioids in Denmark. We found a 35% decline in the use of tramadol from 2017 to 2023 most likely due to media attention, regulatory actions, health campaigns and targeted education of physicians and patients by the Danish health authorities. This decline was accompanied by an increase in the number of new (+90%) and current users of morphine (+57%), which surpassed those of tramadol, oxycodone and other opioids in 2023.
Bibliography:Funding information
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ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0306-5251
1365-2125
1365-2125
DOI:10.1111/bcp.16360