Trends in use and misuse of opioids in the Netherlands: a retrospective, multi-source database study

Summary: Background: The USA is currently facing a serious opioid misuse epidemic that started with increased prescribing of oxycodone and the inclusion of pain as a fifth vital sign, and eventually resulted in massive overdose mortality. In Europe, including the Netherlands, the medical use of opioids (mainly oxycodone) has also increased since 2009, but an increase in proxies for opioid misuse has not yet been described. Methods: For this retrospective, multi-source database study, data were requested from several national databases in the Netherlands to evaluate the following time trends: (... Mehr ...