{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]],"date-time":"2026-01-20T10:41:31Z","timestamp":1768905691232,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,1]],"date-time":"2023-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1690848000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Quebec Network on Drug Research"},{"name":"Quebec Pain Research Network"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: In Canada, a state of health emergency was declared in May 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to assess trends in the use of prescription medication for pain management by people living with chronic pain before and during the first wave of the pandemic. Methods: Participants (n = 177) were adults reporting chronic pain who had completed a web-based questionnaire in 2019 and for whom complete longitudinal private and public insurance prescription claims were available. The monthly prevalence of medication use for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), opioids, and prescribed cannabinoids was assessed. An interrupted time series analysis was then performed to evaluate if the COVID-19 pandemic had had an impact on trends in pain medication use. Results: The beginning of the first wave of the pandemic was associated with the onset of a downward trend in opioid use (p &lt; 0.05); no such association was found regarding NSAIDs. However, point prevalence of opioid use at the beginning (Nov. 2019) and at the end (Mai 2020) of the study period remained somewhat stable (17.0% vs. 16.4%). Regarding prescribed cannabinoids, a gradual increase in use was observed over the entire study period independently from the impact of the first wave of the pandemic (15.3% vs. 22.6%, p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: While the occurrence of the first wave did have an impact on opioid use among people living with chronic pain, access to and use of opioids appear to have returned to normal before the end of the first wave of COVID-19.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph20156493","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,1]],"date-time":"2023-08-01T09:24:24Z","timestamp":1690881864000},"page":"6493","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Trends in Prescription Chronic Pain Medication Use before and during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Qu\u00e9bec, Canada: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Gwena\u00eblle","family":"De Clifford-Faug\u00e8re","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec en Abitibi-T\u00e9miscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hermine Lore","family":"Nguena Nguefack","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec en Abitibi-T\u00e9miscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manon","family":"Choini\u00e8re","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7742-2717","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M. Gabrielle","family":"Pag\u00e9","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center of the Centre Hospitalier de l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada"},{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lucie","family":"Blais","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9769-7550","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Line","family":"Gu\u00e9nette","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada"},{"name":"Axe Sant\u00e9 des Populations et Pratiques Optimales en Sant\u00e9, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Qu\u00e9bec\u2014Universit\u00e9 Laval, Qu\u00e9bec, QC G1V 4G2, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marc","family":"Dorais","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"StatSciences Inc., Notre-Dame-de-l\u2019\u00cele-Perrot, QC J7V 0S2, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ana\u00efs","family":"Lacasse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Sciences, Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec en Abitibi-T\u00e9miscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X 5E4, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1097\/j.pain.0000000000001384","article-title":"Chronic pain as a symptom or a disease: The IASP Classification of Chronic Pain for the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11)","volume":"160","author":"Treede","year":"2019","journal-title":"Pain"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1111\/papr.12050","article-title":"The costs and consequences of adequately managed chronic non-cancer pain and chronic neuropathic pain","volume":"14","author":"Moore","year":"2014","journal-title":"Pain Pract."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1155\/2012\/875924","article-title":"The epidemiology of chronic pain in Canadian men and women between 1994 and 2007: Longitudinal results of the National Population Health Survey","volume":"17","author":"Reitsma","year":"2012","journal-title":"Pain Res. 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