No abstract

Objective: There has been increased use of prescription opioid analgesics in Australia in the past 20 years with increasing evidence of related problems. A number of data sources collect information about the dispensed prescribing for opioid medications, but little is known about the extent to which these data sources agree on levels of opioid prescribing. Methods: In Queensland, all opioid prescriptions (S8 prescriptions) dispensed by community pharmacies must be submitted to the Drugs of Dependence Unit (DDU). This potentially comprises a ‘gold standard’ against which other data sources may be judged. There are two national data sources: the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) for all medications subsidised by government; and an annual national survey of representative pharmacies, which assesses non‐subsidised opioid prescribing. We examined the agreement between these data sources. Results: The three data sources provided consistent estimates of use over time. The correlations between different data sources were high for most opioid analgesics. There was a substantial (60%) increase in the dispensed use of opioid analgesics and a 180% increase in the dispensed use of oxycodone over the period 2002–2009. Tramadol was the most used opioid‐like medication. Conclusions: Since 2002 different data sources reveal similar trends, namely a substantial increase in the prescribing of opioid medications. With few exceptions, the conclusions derived from using any of these data sources were similar. Implications: Improved access to PBS data for relevant stakeholders could provide an efficient and cost‐effective way to monitor use of prescription opioid analgesics.

Co-morbid alcohol-related disorders and anxiety disorders have been found to occur in alcohol treatment populations, anxiety treatment populations and the general community. People suffering from co-occurring alcohol-related and anxiety disorders are more prone to relapse to alcohol abuse, and more likely to re-enter the treatment system for either disorder than sufferers of either disorder without a co-morbid disorder. To review the current state of the management of this disorder, evidence of the prevalence of this co-morbid condition in clinical and community populations is examined, then the theoretical mechanisms that might explain this connection are reviewed. A comparison of the few treatment studies of co-morbid alcohol and anxiety disorders shows a limited number of pharmacological treatment trials and no psychotherapy outcome trials. This review shows that it is no longer sustainable to conceptualize co-morbidity of alcohol and anxiety disorders as a unitary concept, i.e. lumping alcohol-related and anxiety disorders as one global condition, but as separate distinct combinations of particular anxiety disorders, e.g. alcohol dependence and panic disorder, alcohol dependence and generalize anxiety disorder. The recommended treatment approach, supported by the evidence, is to offer separate and parallel therapy for the alcohol-related and anxiety disorder, until empirical evidence from treatment outcome studies suggest otherwise. There is an urgent need to conduct treatment outcome research for the subtypes of co-morbid alcohol and anxiety disorders.

No abstract

No abstract