ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OPIOID AND BENZODIAZEPINE CO-USE AND RECEIPT OF MEDICATIONS FOR OPIOID USE DISORDER (MOUD)
Author(s)
Ryan Lafontaine, BS, PharmD Candidate1, Sean Hyungwoo Kim, BA, MS, PharmD, PhD2.
1Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Winchester, VA, USA, 2Shenandoah University/George Mason Univesity, Ashburn, VA, USA.
1Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, Winchester, VA, USA, 2Shenandoah University/George Mason Univesity, Ashburn, VA, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Concomitant opioid and benzodiazepine use is associated with increased risk of overdose and respiratory depression. Although medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) are recommended as first-line treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), less is known about the association between benzodiazepine co-use and MOUD receipt. This study examined whether concomitant use of benzodiazepine and opioids was associated with MOUD receipt among first-time treatment admissions for opioid dependence.
METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2006-2023 Treatment Episode Data Set-Admissions. The analysis included 724,246 admissions among individuals aged 18-49 years with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnosis of opioid dependence, with or without concomitant benzodiazepine use, and no prior treatment admissions. Associations between benzodiazepine co-use and MOUD receipt were evaluated using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression.
RESULTS: Among 724,246 eligible admissions, 50,118 (6.9%) reported concomitant benzodiazepine use. Benzodiazepine co-use was more prevalent among admissions not receiving MOUD than among those receiving MOUD (8.2% vs. 4.5%, p<0.0001). After adjustment for demographic and treatment-related characteristics, admissions without benzodiazepine co-use had significantly higher odds of receiving MOUD than those reporting concomitant opioid and benzodiazepine use (AOR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.71-1.79). Older age was associated with progressively greater odds of MOUD receipt, with individuals aged 45-49 years having over three times the odds of receiving MOUD compared with those aged 18-20 years (AOR=3.43, 95% CI: 3.30-3.56). Females had higher odds of MOUD receipt than males (AOR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.28-1.31), and admissions in the Northeast had nearly threefold higher odds of MOUD receipt than those in the West (AOR=2.80, 95% CI: 2.73-2.88).
CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant benzodiazepine use was associated with substantially lower odds of MOUD receipt among first-time treatment admissions for opioid dependence. Individuals reporting benzodiazepine co-use may represent a population at risk for lower MOUD uptake and may benefit from targeted efforts to improve access to evidence-based treatment.
METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2006-2023 Treatment Episode Data Set-Admissions. The analysis included 724,246 admissions among individuals aged 18-49 years with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders diagnosis of opioid dependence, with or without concomitant benzodiazepine use, and no prior treatment admissions. Associations between benzodiazepine co-use and MOUD receipt were evaluated using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression.
RESULTS: Among 724,246 eligible admissions, 50,118 (6.9%) reported concomitant benzodiazepine use. Benzodiazepine co-use was more prevalent among admissions not receiving MOUD than among those receiving MOUD (8.2% vs. 4.5%, p<0.0001). After adjustment for demographic and treatment-related characteristics, admissions without benzodiazepine co-use had significantly higher odds of receiving MOUD than those reporting concomitant opioid and benzodiazepine use (AOR=1.75, 95% CI: 1.71-1.79). Older age was associated with progressively greater odds of MOUD receipt, with individuals aged 45-49 years having over three times the odds of receiving MOUD compared with those aged 18-20 years (AOR=3.43, 95% CI: 3.30-3.56). Females had higher odds of MOUD receipt than males (AOR=1.30, 95% CI: 1.28-1.31), and admissions in the Northeast had nearly threefold higher odds of MOUD receipt than those in the West (AOR=2.80, 95% CI: 2.73-2.88).
CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant benzodiazepine use was associated with substantially lower odds of MOUD receipt among first-time treatment admissions for opioid dependence. Individuals reporting benzodiazepine co-use may represent a population at risk for lower MOUD uptake and may benefit from targeted efforts to improve access to evidence-based treatment.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EPH16
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health
Topic Subcategory
Public Health, Safety & Pharmacoepidemiology
Disease
Mental Health (including addiction), No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas