{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,18]],"date-time":"2025-10-18T22:40:46Z","timestamp":1760827246761,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,7]],"date-time":"2020-08-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1596758400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":6,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100005416","name":"Norges Forskningsr\u00e5d","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["269855"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["269855"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100005416","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Open"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,26]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>To compare the use of benzodiazepines, z-hypnotics, gabapentinoids, opioids and centrally acting stimulants (CAS) among patients who had received opioid agonist therapy (OAT) in Norway and Sweden during the period 2015 - 2017.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>A register-based prospective cohort study using information about dispensed drugs from the Norwegian Prescription Database and Swedish Prescribed Drug Register.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Setting<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Patients who were dispensed OAT opioids from pharmacies.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Participants<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>A total of 7176 Norwegian and 3591 Swedish patients on OAT were included.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Outcome measures<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The number and frequency of potentially addictive drugs dispensed were calculated for the two countries. The mean daily doses of dispensed benzodiazepines and z-hypnotics were summarised by calculating benzodiazepines in diazepam equivalents and z-hypnotics in zopiclone equivalents.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>In 2017, 46% of patients in Norway, and 15% in Sweden, were dispensed a benzodiazepine. Moreover, 14% in Norway and 26% in Sweden received z-hypnotics. Gabapentinoids were dispensed to 10% of patients in Norway and 19% of patients in Sweden. In Norway, 6% and 12% of the patients received strong and weak non-OAT opioids, respectively, whereas in Sweden 10% were dispensed strong non-OAT opioids and 5% weak non-OAT opioids . CAS were dispensed to 4% in Norway and 18% in Sweden. The mean daily doses of benzodiazepines were 16\u2009and 17\u2009mg diazepam equivalents in Norway and Sweden, respectively. For z-hypnotics, the mean daily dose was 8\u2009mg zopiclone equivalents in both countries. \u2018Benzodiazepines and z-hypnotics\u2019 was the most dispensed drug combination in 2017. Similar results were found in 2015 and 2016.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Nearly half of those patients who were dispensed an OAT opioid in Norway and Sweden were dispensed potentially addictive drugs. The differences identified between Norway and Sweden might be related to differences in eligibility guidelines and restrictions with respect to OAT.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2020-036860","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,8]],"date-time":"2020-08-08T21:00:29Z","timestamp":1596920429000},"page":"e036860","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Potentially addictive drugs dispensing to patients receiving opioid agonist therapy: a register-based prospective cohort study in Norway and Sweden from 2015 to 2017"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8701-7638","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"J\u00f8rn Henrik","family":"Vold","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway"},{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6469-9354","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christer","family":"Aas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway"},{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Svetlana","family":"Skurtveit","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway"},{"name":"Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ingvild","family":"Odsbu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fatemeh","family":"Chalabianloo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway"},{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Johan","family":"Reutfors","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anne","family":"Halm\u00f8y","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"},{"name":"Division of Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kjell Arne","family":"Johansson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway"},{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8757-2092","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lars Thore","family":"Fadnes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway"},{"name":"Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025101815115444000_10.8.e036860.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugalcdep.2017.01.013","article-title":"Benzodiazepine, z-drug and pregabalin prescriptions and mortality among patients in opioid maintenance treatment-a nation-wide register-based open cohort study","volume":"174","author":"Abrahamsson","year":"2017","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol Depend"},{"key":"2025101815115444000_10.8.e036860.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1186\/s12888-020-02526-y","article-title":"Dispensation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medications in patients receiving opioid agonist therapy; 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