EVIDENCE LIBRARY
ADHD Treatment During Opioid Agonist Therapy: Concomitant Sedative Dispensing Needs Detail
A Norwegian registry study found frequent additional potentially addictive drug dispensing among patients receiving both ADHD medication and opioid agonist therapy.
A Norwegian registry study found frequent additional potentially addictive drug dispensing among patients receiving both ADHD medication and opioid agonist therapy.
What the registry showed
The study followed dispensing in 9,235 opioid agonist therapy patients during 2015–2017. ADHD medication dispensing increased from 3.5% to 4.6%. In 2017, 60% of patients receiving ADHD medicines also received another studied potentially addictive drug. The additional classes included benzodiazepines, Z-hypnotics, gabapentinoids, and non-treatment opioids.
The combined category is not a benzodiazepine rate
The 60% figure spans several drug groups and should not be assigned wholly to benzodiazepines. Dispensing does not demonstrate ingestion, misuse, or an adverse interaction. The authors lacked indications for some prescriptions and did not evaluate why each sedative or analgesic was used. A case review should identify the actual drug, dates, clinical purpose, and administration rather than treating a broad registry category as proof of dangerous simultaneous use. These are treatment-pattern data, not a randomized safety comparison.
Source paper
Original analysis of the supplied journal article, identified as PMC7068965.