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The Article in Brief
Prescription Opioid Duration, Dose, and Increased Risk of Depression in 3 Large Patient Populations
Jeffrey F. Scherrer , and colleagues
Background Recent research suggests that the risk of new onset of depression increases with longer use of opioid medication. It is unclear, however, whether opioid-related depression is a result of the dose prescribed, the length of time the medication is used, or both. With more than 200 million prescriptions for opioids written in the United States annually, researchers investigate the association between opioid use and the risk of depression
What This Study Found Opioid-related new onset of depression is associated with duration of use but not dose.The risk of new-onset depression with 31 to 90 days of opioid use ranges from 1.18 to 1.33; and in opioid use more than 90 days, ranges from 1.35 to 2.05. Dose is not significantly associated with a new onset of depression.
Implications
- According to the authors, opioids may cause short-term improvement in mood, but long-term use of more than 30 days carries a risk of new-onset depression.
- The authors call for further research to identify which patients are most vulnerable to opioid-related depression.